Wedding: Interrupted
by Icha
Summary: My take on the possible future storylines in JLA0, notably Wonder Woman’s marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Ch 25: Epilogue!
1. Runaway Bride

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T  
**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, WW and Mr. X, BM and Mrs. Y. Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0. Set five years after the IC. Thanks to DC Lady for the great beta. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana, with 'Daughters of the Moon' as the possible exception._

**Chapter 1. Runaway Bride**

Superman was always the one who first opened up. Diana had known him for years, and she wasn't taken by surprise at all when he was the one who first spoke of his concerns. Of _their_ concerns about her.

"You're sure he's the one?"

"You've met him, Clark," Wonder Woman looked at the Man of Steel, who also happened to be one of her best friends. "You know he is."

Clark Kent, the Superman, winced inwardly. It had been years since she had stopped calling him Kal, short of Kal-El, his birth name, and instead opting for the more familiar 'Clark'. It had been years as well since he had stopped hoping that she would return to her old tradition of calling him 'Kal'. But today he felt that pang of sadness again, as he was reminded that, for her, he was Clark Kent now, instead of Kal-El of Krypton. In other words, not the most special person in her heart. Instead, she now had…

"But, don't you see? You're tying the knot to – "

"It's no different than Lois, Clark," interrupting him, Diana cast her magic smile that was guaranteed to melt the hearts of any man. Including, and especially, the Last Son of Krypton.

"That's not true. To be with him…you're giving up immortality."

Superman recoiled again as Batman, the ever pragmatic guy, spoke up the topic that he had avoided so far. That _they_ had avoided so far. He was silent and watched as Batman nonchalantly waved a book under Diana's nose and proclaimed that he would borrow it. Just like that. As if they were in Gotham Public Library and he, Bruce Wayne, was about to borrow a book from a charming librarian. A very charming librarian who was about to get married in three days.

"Go ahead," the gorgeous 'librarian' gave her permission in a wave of hand. "But, in response to your statement, we all give up something when we love. Same for you, Bruce. Is it any different than – "

"Yes. Of course it's different." The Batman didn't let her finish her sentence. Through his opaque lenses, he scrutinized the Amazon Warrior, soon to be an Amazon Bride, in front of her. He wanted to say a dozen aspects that would explain the difference, but he could not articulate even one of them. Speaking of them would mean telling her the Truth. So, instead, he composed himself and growled,

"I didn't give up immortality."

A weird silence covered the library. Diana's azure eyes drilled into Batman's soul as she spoke a few minutes later.

"I don't want eternity without him." Superman, who had been studying the marbled floor out of reluctance of discussing the 'immortality' thing, tilted his head as he thought he heard a short, split second, pause before the former princess said 'him'. But, judging from Diana's serious expression, he dismissed the thought. He looked at her, who was giving the Batman a resolute look. She then tilted her head towards Kal-El and sighed.

"Look, I didn't ask you two here…especially here… for permission."

Batman, as usual, remained still. Even after he had lightened up after the major infinite crisis five years ago, he still maintained that annoying habit whenever he decided to stick to his opinions. Especially, when they were talking about _her_.

So, instead, Clark took over the conversation. Playing the big brother role Bruce refused to play.

"We support you, Diana. Of course we do," he cast a quick 'you better behave or else' glare at Batman who didn't budge. Kal-El continued half-heartedly, his baby-blue eyes refused to hide his disappointment. "And we'd be honored to stand up at the wedding. But just know that what you're sacrificing…"

Diana shook her rich raven hair as she lifted her hand. "I will hear none of that. This is not a sacrifice, Clark. This is something that I am glad to do."

Superman wanted to launch another objection, but at the same time, a very cheerful familiar voice cut him out.

"Diana?" An equally raven haired head poked into the library. "We're ready for the gown fitting. Are you – "

"Sure, Donna," Diana turned and smiled at her twin-sister. "Just give me a minute to wrap things up with these gentlemen."

"Suurrre…" Donna cast her eyes heavenward. "Just don't take too long. Kara and Cassie can't wait to see you in white." She then turned to the World's Finest and gave her huge grin. "Clark, tell Lois to prepare for the lavender dress in case Dinah can't make it. She had this big influenza that might last until next week. And Bruce… Alfred had asked Dick to ask me to tell you that the fitting of your new Armani is scheduled later this afternoon."

After delivering all those messages, Donna Troy-Grayson turned and closed the door behind her.

Diana waited until the echoes of her sister fade away. Donna was the first one who objected her wedding plan, but also the first one to offer the hand to help her with the preparation. Fitting her white wedding gown might be the most reasonable thing to do now, as opposed to continue the never ending discussion about her immortality.

"So," she turned to her two best friends. "By my sister's order, I have to get prepared. I trust you gentlemen know the way out? Or perhaps you want to linger on in the library, Bruce?"

The Man of Steel sighed as he realized that he wouldn't be able to push her further. "I'll go and check with Lois about the wedding. She had rented a black tux for me. I prefer the navy blue one."

"Never argue with a seven-month-pregnant Lois Lane," Grinning, the Ambassador of Themyscira tilted her head to see Batman's reaction.

"I'll be here for a while. Reading."

That wasn't an unusual response from the Dark Knight. His ever-existing interest in Greco-Roman texts had always made him attached to the plethora of literatures provided by the Paradise Island library.

Diana shrugged and walked away with Clark. Bruce sat down in one of the chairs and opened the book he had just borrowed.

Thirty minutes later, he left the room. The book he had opened was abandoned on the table. He didn't read a single line of it.

xxx

Their giggles had lasted for nearly half an hour. Giggles, chuckles, and laughter. Gown-fitting was always fun. Especially when the bride-to-be was a famous Amazon heroine about to tie the knot with a mortal. Even if 100 of the ladies in the room secretly hid their reservations towards their sister's decision.

"So, Connor really did finally propose to you?" The bright blue-eyed Kara Zor-El kept repeating her sentence. She seemed to have mentioned it for the fifth times in twenty minutes.

"Gosh, Kara! Superhearing not workin' or what!" Cassandra Sandsmark rolled her eyes, swept a lock of her blonde hair, and bend to take off a pin from Diana's dress. "I've told you he did! Di, we're done here. Very pretty dress."

"Of course. Did you think I would choose an ugly dress for her?" Donna answered Cassie's comment, smugly lifted her fine nose.

It was indeed a very pretty dress. Donna poured all her efforts to order the best wedding gown for her sister, and she was proud of that. Not that Diana needed an attractive dress to make her look pretty. But the silver-moon silk flowing gently on her body as the breeze entered the half-opened back door and the sparkling beads that decorated the dress here and there truly promised a dazzling look for an Amazon bride. Nearly a dozen of international designers had contacted Donna Troy-Grayson, the official wedding organizer for Diana of Themyscira, to offer gorgeous wedding gowns for Diana. In the process, Donna almost broke her own heart when she crossed all but one gown off her list of choices to be The One Gown for her sister. Diana herself hadn't put much effort in gown picking. She had relegated the biggest responsibility to her sister.

Now, the bride-to-be was just standing idle, occasionally swirling her strapless sleeveless gown and playing with a curl of her raven hair, seemingly excited at the swishing sound the materials created. Anyone who saw her in such state would think that she was drowning in the blissful happiness of a bride-to-be.

"But you haven't given any details! Like when, how, what he did…" Kara continued, playing with a long cream ribbon, which was about to be turned into garbage if she didn't stop fidgeting with it soon.

Donna seemed to be aware of the danger. "Gimme that!" She snapped the ribbon away from Kara's hand. "This is for the bouquet, and I'm not forgiving you if you ruin it!" She stepped away and stored the ribbon properly.

"But, she's not answering!"

"Hey! It's my business!"

"You're my sister! He's my cousin! Recently resurrected. You're telling me it's not _my_ business?"

"Kara…Cassie…" Donna turned around to lecture her sisters. Knowing all too well of her sisters' argumentative natures, Diana used the chance to slip away from the dressing room and walked out through the back door. The Amazon Warrior timidly lifted her long dress as she strolled along the cobbled pathway. Her silver-moon silk gown stirred as she walked into the small garden behind their quarters.

The fresh fragrance of roses filled the garden. She inhaled gratefully. _Who would have thought that marrying someone would be this difficult? Not to mention someone who is not – _

She shook her head to get rid of the annoying thought. _No. I have made the decision. He is the right one. I will live with him for the rest of my life._ She winced when she felt sudden heat on her hips. The Lasso of Truth. It had started to emanate heat the day she had made the decision to marry him. She wondered if the heat would stay on, would get worse, or would fade away after her wedding. She had hoped for the latter. If not, she would toss away the lasso for the sake of her peace of mind.

A rustling sound behind her did not make her turn around. But she could not help but smile.

"The book is not interested enough?"

She turned to see Bruce Wayne, clad in his Batman regalia, _sans_ cowl, staring right at her. She almost stepped back as she saw his eyes.

"Diana, don't do this. Cancel the wedding."

She definitely stepped back this time. She stared at the man in front of her, totally taken aback, temporarily forgot that she was also bestowed with the gift of speech.

xxx

It was almost 9 in the morning when he opened his eyes. He growled, closed his eyes again, and turned his back against the window side of his bright room. Alfred always had the annoying habit of opening up the curtains, and had never been deterred by the fact that his young charge was also the Batman who needed more sleep in the morning because of his nocturnal activities. And now, the young Mrs. Wayne also had a similar habit with Alfred, and hence forcing Bruce to wake up in the morning, like it or not.

While turning, Bruce's hand accidentally touched the side of his bed. He wasn't surprised at all when he felt that the space was empty. When they first got married, his wife had this interesting habit of waking him up in the morning. As well as the rest of his body parts. However, since a few months ago, she stopped doing that. She woke up early, had breakfast without waiting for him, and if they had conversations during the very rare event of having meals together, their conversation was duller than those boring U.N. meetings Diana often attended.

_Diana._

Bruce inhaled and opened his eyes slowly. He studied the cream curtains of his grand bedroom and tried to remember why he felt so blue today.

_Ah, yes. Of course._

Diana, former Princess of Themyscira, twice Amazon Ambassador for the United Nations, a.k.a. Wonder Woman, would get married tomorrow. Despite what he had said yesterday, she still held onto her original wedding plan, undeterred. The Themyscira House would hold a cocktail party this evening, and philanthropist Bruce Wayne was invited as a V.V.I.P.

Today was Friday. He had two meetings to attend before lunch and one in the afternoon. He wished he had two other meetings in the evening as an excuse not to join the cocktail party, but he knew better than not fulfilling the invitation. Clark would call. Alfred would gently remind him. And, worst of all, Diana would be disappointed.

He groaned again and got out of the bed. His body still needed some sleep after three robbery attempts and one jail break that he had stopped last night, but he didn't feel like sleeping anymore. In fact, he hadn't been able to sleep properly. Not since Diana announced her wedding plans three weeks ago. Grumpily, he dragged himself to the bathroom and emerged ten minutes later with a fresh body, but a restless mind.

Bruce donned his dressing kimono and strode out of the room. Walking towards the kitchen, he didn't expect to meet the young Mrs. Wayne in the main lobby. Tall and dressed elegantly in a Donna Karan three pieces, his wife stood near the door with two expensive Gucci suitcases next to her.

He arched his thick eyebrow, but decided not to ask. She would tell him if she felt he needed to know. "Morning." He casually approached her to plant a quick compulsory kiss. The classic Chanel No. 5 charged his olfactory organs, but did nothing to evoke his passion towards her. She received the kiss half-heartedly and made no attempt to return it.

"Going somewhere?" He scolded himself for the question. _Of course she's going somewhere, you fool! Two suitcases and she's going shopping!_

She hesitated before answering, "Tuscany."

He couldn't help wondering. "Not Milan? I heard they have great sales this week there."

"Please, Bruce," she sighed, tucking a lock of her long brunette hair. "Don't play stupid. You know why I need to go there."

He pursed his lips as he studied her intently. He knew that she would leave one day, but not now.

"When will you come back?" He was very tempted to omit the 'when' from the question.

She looked into his eyes and found that, despite his kindness, the question was more an obligatory one. Another obligatory thing between them. She bit her lip.

"I don't know, beloved. I will tell you next week if I decided to come back."

Not 'when', but 'if'. Bruce realized now that she finally reached the point that he had reached three months ago. He nodded and opened his mouth to say something. Anything polite. Nothing came out.

"Give my regards to Diana," she finally spoke again, hesitated to mention the name.

"She…uhm… the cocktail party tonight –"

" – is cancelled, I think." She placed a pair of Ray-band sunglasses on her face and made to leave. Upon Bruce's obvious floating question mark, she added reluctantly, "Just read the paper. I have to go, taxi's waiting."

Bruce lifted her two suitcases and escorted her to the taxi in front of the Manor. Of course, the jovial young taxi driver recognized the famous couple that resided in the Manor. But he failed to notice the negative tension between the husband and wife in front of him.

"Morning, Miss Talia! To the airport again?"

"Yes, Edward. And quick, please."

"Sure, Mam! Been a busy month, eh? Three times going abroad…"

Talia Al-Ghul Wayne didn't respond. She took out her compact powder and examined her pale reflection on the mirror. She didn't even look at her dark haired husband who waved as her taxi left the compound.

xxx

Though he should be confused with his wife leaving, Bruce found that he was more confused with her statement. _What's in the paper she was talking about?_

He decided to ignore the matter and entered Alfred Pennyworth's major domain. The ever-immaculate butler-father-doctor all in one greeted him with his trade-mark English tone.

"Morning, Master Bruce."

"Alfred," he yawned hard and tiredly sank at one of the kitchen stools. Two newspapers lay on the table. He didn't even glance at them.

"Trouble sleeping again, Sir?" the butler placed a plate of fresh fruit in front of Bruce while not missing the opportunity to scrutinize his charge. Bruce's dark rings would not fool Alfred's old eyes, even if his master said he slept perfectly well.

"Yeah…" Bruce growled and reached for coffee.

"Miss Talia is heading overseas again," Alfred's comment was – again – a compulsory one. Despite the old man's super polite demeanor towards the young Mrs. Wayne, Bruce understood that his surrogate father never hid his opinion of not approving of his master's decision to marry the daughter of the Demon. Thus, Alfred had not shown his objection at all in light of Talia's recent habit for frequent overseas travel. Bruce was not surprised at this. He just hoped that all compulsory comments would vanish from this house. Living in this house, in the midst of his parent's memory, was hard enough already. He actually didn't need obligatory things to do in his life, other than watching over Gotham.

"Yes… I'm afraid Italian shoes are increasingly lethal to her." Bruce tried to crack a joke and failed miserably. He sighed and drank his coffee. _To hell with Talia leaving the U.S. I have Diana's cocktail and wedding I have to avoid…_

"Ah. Perhaps you should take a look at the newspaper, Master Bruce. In case there are discounts we can utilize to keep the young mistress in the country."

Alfred had noticed Bruce's sharp decline of reading newspaper as of three weeks ago. After Ms. Diana's wedding announcement, to be precise. Can't blame him though, all newspapers were crammed with news of the Amazon's wedding plans, drowning other items of news from all over the country.

Bruce's grunt was another indication that he didn't want to re-enact his newspaper reading habit this morning. Alfred sighed as he realized that he had to take the initiative himself.

"As you are seemingly uninterested in the newspaper, might I ask you to pass those for me to read?"

His charge frowned. Never in Bruce's life had Alfred asked him to pass him any newspaper. What with his demand now?

He shrugged. Sluggishly, he reached for the newspapers next to him, which were uncharacteristically opened up in half (instead of folded into a quarters). Indifferently, he sipped his coffee and passed the papers to Alfred. His eyes mechanically glanced at the headlines. He nearly choked on his coffee.

'_Former Princess's Wedding is cancelled!'_

'_Wonder Woman loosened up the knot!'_

Bruce Wayne gasped. He spilled his coffee, but didn't pay attention at all. Now he realized the extent of what his wife was speaking about.

xxx

"May I have the paper, Master Bruce?"

Alfred's nonchalant request had brought Bruce back to reality. Bruce blinked, put down his cup, and turned slowly to his surrogate father.

"You read this paper this morning?" It was an accusational glare.

"Well…yes." The butler's suppressed smile was hard to miss. "But I haven't the chance to read the sale section."

"This…" the C.E.O of Wayne Enterprises quickly scanned the pages in front of him. _The__Gotham Gazette_ and _The Daily Planet_. The two most influential newspapers on East Coast would not give room to idle gossip. Add the _Gotham Morning Herald_ to that to confirm…

"I trust that the GMH has arrived by now. Allow me…" Alfred sailed out of the room with the air of importance in his demeanor. He returned back two minutes later with the _Gotham Morning Herald _in his hand.

Bruce still had his nose in the paper. For the last two minutes, he had back and forth examined the _Gotham Gazette _and_ the Daily Planet_. He looked up to see Alfred Pennyworth dramatically holding up the third newspaper with _'Diana of Themyscira: Runaway Bride?__'_ as the headline.

"I…"

"A bit of disturbing news, Master Bruce. Or shall I say, an _encouraging_ one?"

His charge for almost forty years swallowed hard.

"Would you like me to keep searching for shoe sales, or rather call the Embassy to offer condolences?"

"I…have meetings today at Wayne Tower."

Alfred Pennyworth looked into Bruce Wayne's eyes. "Consider them cancelled, Master Bruce. Meanwhile, shall I encourage you to change into proper attire and head to the Embassy yourself?"

"I…" this man might as well have lost his ability to speak.

Suddenly, the phone rang. The English butler swiftly ran for the phone, only to come back to Bruce a moment later. "Master Clark would like to speak to you, Sir."

Bruce blinked several times before answering, his voice hoarse.

"No. Tell him I'm on my way to the Embassy."

"Very well, Sir." Alfred didn't hold his smile as he spoke to an anxious Mr. Kent on the phone. From the corner of his eye, he saw Bruce literally running upstairs to get dressed.

-TBC-

_Author's note:_

_Take that, Meltzer! Dare to make Diana wed a guy other than Bruce Wayne, and Bruce married a woman other than Diana? Well, I still have fanfics to spoil myself! Oh, I actually still thank Brad Meltzer for his superb descriptions of Wonder Woman in JLA#0. Really, Diana's wedding aside, he had become one of my fave Wondy writers. _

_Please read and review. I want to take another chapter to go, but I need to know the responses._


	2. Condolence?

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana and Mr. X, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW vol 3, and some post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Guest starring: Selina Kyle and Dinah Lance-Queen. Thanks so much to my readers for their review and encouragement and to DC Lady for the great beta. I learned a lot in the process. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana, with 'Daughters of the Moon' as the loose connection._

**Chapter 2. Condolence? **

"So…um… you're sure you're okay?"

"I am. I already told you that three times."

"Yeah, I heard that." Dinah Lance-Queen stopped mid-sentence to sneeze hard three times. Diana winced, and automatically moved the phone a bit further from her. She then grinned to realize that the Black Canary was in Star City at the West Coast, so faraway from New York City that the virus would not affect her at all. Not to mention that she was also the Wonder Woman, almost immune to any virus that existed in this world.

"I think you really should worry about yourself, Dinah." Diana's slender fingertips fidgeted with the phone cable. "Or for Ollie at least. We can't risk having Green Arrow absent from the League because of influenza."

_Bfffftttt! _The impolite noise was clearly audible as the wife of Star City Mayor cleared her stopped up nose with Kleenex.

"Am…fine…." She sneezed again, then swore. "As long as I can get rid of the $#$& flu!"

Diana chuckled. "Well, I think I'd better let you rest. Okay?"

"Yeah… Hey! Don't divert the conversation, Lady! You haven't told me what's wrong with your head!"

_What's wrong with my head? _Playing with a lock of her hair, the Ambassador of Themyscira mused. "Perhaps, it used to be wrong, and I'm correcting it now."

"Aahhh…" The satisfied sound of the all-knowing Black Canary. She 'tsk'-ed and asked again, "So, you admit that it was the wrong decision?"

Though she couldn't see her, Dinah was sure that her Amazon friend shook her head.

"No. It was the right decision, Dinah. Trust me." Diana's hands moved down to her Lasso of Truth, peacefully coiled at her hip. Since last night, it had been very comfortable to wear; the lasso didn't emanate heat the way it used to.

"No, I see that," Dinah was quick to correct herself. "I can also feel that this decision – canceling the wedding – was the right one." She glanced at _the Daily Planet _next to Ollie's laptop, and added, "Though the press is having a field day."

"Indeed." Studying her ceilings, Diana responded absentmindedly. "It sells papers, I guess."

"Huh!" the famous martial artisan, now knocked out by influenza, snorted. Her snort had nothing to do with her cold, though. "Say… so you admitted that your decision to marry him was a mistake. How did he take it?"

"Him?" Diana replayed the fight they had and the anger Tom Tresser burst at her when she cancelled the wedding. "He… took it better than expected." Meaning, no physical fights or items scattered about. Though he might have ransacked a few bars afterwards. _Gaea's mercy._ "Perhaps, I should call him. Just to check."

"Nah… let him be," Dinah waved her free hand dismissively. "Tom's a big boy, he'll take care of himself."

Diana remained silent.

"So… you gonna tell me the _real _reason for the break-up?" Dinah continued probing. "Other than 'he might not be The One after all' excuse?"

The raven-haired Amazon pursed her lips while thinking. "Perhaps later, Dinah," she compromised. "When you're better."

"When you've told Donna and the rest about the real reason, you mean?" Black Canary arched her eyebrow in annoyance. "Might I remind you that you came to see me, asking me my dozen opinions about this man, before you started dating him? And now you break up with him, and I'm not told why?"

"Later, I promise. I just… need to solve some issues first."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. Afterwards, I will go to Star City and we can spend the whole night talking."

"Well… if that's a promise…" Black Canary said. She knew that if Wonder Woman said so, it really meant so.

Diana smiled. "Promise. Now hang up the phone and get some reasonable sleep, please? Before you turned into Canary Flu?"

Her friend chuckled and snorted again (because of her cold this time). "At least, I have time to get rid of this flu before your next wedding."

"Like, in another life time, you mean?"

Dinah chuckled. "Don't be pessimist, Di! You're not that bad looking, you know?"

Diana laughed. After saying goodbye, the women hung up. Diana sighed. Not a sad sigh. More of a relieved sigh. She looked up and saw Rachel Keast, the Embassy Legal Attaché, studying her with what looked like concern.

"Rachel, about the meeting with the Australian Ambassador…"

"I have already informed you, Madam Ambassador, that it has been postponed. The Ambassador himself made the initiative, in the honor of…"

"Well, yes…" Diana stood up, fixed her white blouse, and gazed out of the window. New York was in mid summer, and everything seemed cheerful. She looked down to the street, at the crowds buzzing in front of Themysciran House. Some of them were reporters eager to know the reason behind Wonder Woman's wedding cancellation. Others were fans of her or merely curious strangers. Ferdinand the Khitotaur, Dr. Leslie Anderson, Peter Garibaldi, and Alana Dominguez successfully prevented them coming in, but the crowds still lingered on. "But since the wedding is not in place anymore, I think we can continue the discussion, then."

At the planned meeting they would discus the appearance of several metahumans from Australia, something that the Justice League was very interested in. Because it was the metahuman issue they would be talking about, the Embassy would also need to contact Sarge Steel of the Department of Metahuman Affairs to join her meeting with Australia. And no doubt, Sarge would further relegate the case to…

"Would Nemesis be representing the DMA? Still?" Rachel added the last word politely. Her hands played with her Bob Marley pleats to hide her concerns.

Detecting the tension in her second in command, Diana smiled inwardly. _This is very strange for them, isn't it? Canceling the wedding. Gaea knows how many weddings have been cancelled in this city, in this country, but still this one concerns them the most. _

"I think Nemesis would come," she flicked over the 'Top Secret' labeled Australian metahuman document. "Provided that he is available, of course."

"I see." Rachel pursed her lips. "I shall confirm you the rescheduled date later."

"Thank you very much, Rachel," Diana cast her warm smile.

"Will you be alright?"

"I will, I will." Diana waved her hand over the pile of papers on the table. "After I finish my homework."

The Legal Attaché laughed. _Madam Ambassador. God knows how she might be broken inside, but she still chooses to work anyway. _Rachel Keast left the room after saying, "Good day, Diana."

"Good day, Rachel." Diana walked around her table and sat down again. She opened her iBook and read a report on the latest status of the Afghanistan woman's movement. She was on the third page when she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," she said, and kept reading her documents.

"So, finally I've finished all the hard work. Canceling invitations, caterings, tents, everything. Including the dress. Now, will you tell me what's going on here?"

Wonder Woman raised her head and smiled.

"Who's going to have the dress?" She looked at the very concerned Donna Troy-Grayson, folding hands in front of her. "Cassie or Kara? I know that Cassie might need it for her wedding with Kon-El."

"To avert a sister fight, we decided to donate the gown to the earliest charitable event marked on the calendar." Donna walked around the table and bent toward her sister. "Diana, what happened? Why did you cancel the wedding?"

Diana pursed her lips. She realized there was no way she could hide things from her sister. She leaned back on her chair and interlaced her arms behind her head. "The Truth?"

Two pairs of azure eyes met. "And only the Truth."

xxx

Half an hour later, Diana sighed in relief as she stood up and arched her cramped body. Donna had been very helpful; not asking too many questions after Diana rang her earlier this morning. Though Diana had not yet told her the exact reason for her wedding cancellation, the sleepy-head fashion photographer was suddenly wide awake. She took a quick shower and left Dick Grayson with his morning cereals in their apartment for Themyscira House. Donna was Diana's wedding organizer, and hence she had to make sure that every invitation, catering service, and logistics were cancelled appropriately. But, on top of that, Donna deserved a full explanation, and apparently, Diana's story for the last half an hour satisfied her. At least, until further information was revealed.

Diana massaged the bridge of her nose. She returned to her hibernated notebook, attempting to explore possible funds to allow young Afghan women to study outside their country of origin, when the phone rang. She sighed and picked up the phone. She knew that it would not be some reporters or those strangers interested in her wedding story (or what was left of it) – Alana would have screened out those calls.

"Madam Ambassador." The cheerful greeting from Alana Dominguez, her personal secretary, told her that it was no one to worry about. "A phone call from the East End, Gotham."

_East End? By Gaea! _"I'll take it, Alana. Thank you very much."

Two seconds later, "So, are you going to tell me about it?"

Diana smiled before giving a reply. "Hello to you too, Selina. How are you?"

"Surprised at what the _Gotham Gazette_ and _Daily Planet_ told me this morning." At the other end of the line, Selina Kyle tapped at the newspaper on her desk. She took a break to sip her coffee, then continued. "Did he break anything when you told him the bad news? Or, should I say 'good news' instead?"

Diana grinned. Five years ago, no one would have thought that Wonder Woman would befriend the Catwoman. True, both women were not enemies, but they were not on regular contact either. Mostly because of the difference in their circles, connected only by Batman, and later, Nemesis. Diana used to have a brief talk with Selina in downtown Gotham, but the OMAC disaster and the infamous Infinite Crisis had hindered their communication further.

Yet, four years ago, as the world settled down in peace once more, came a very important case for Diana, both as a social activist and as Wonder Woman: child trafficking, connecting several major cities in the East Coast (New York City and Gotham City included) and some South East Asian countries. Wonder Woman had asked for Batman to help her, who later on brought Catwoman in. After a few days of working together, Diana of Themyscira and Selina Kyle found many similar things among them ('persistence' and 'independence' as Batman later had admitted), and henceforth had befriended each other. Occasionally, both women would be seen strolling along the Madison Ave, SoHo or downtown Gotham for window shopping (or season's sale) and drinking latte in an adjacent café afterwards.

"Define 'good news', Ms. Kyle."

"Stop skirting the issue, Madam, and tell me the truth. Did Tom hit you?"

"Can you even imagine any man hitting me without me punching him back?"

"Nope." Selina smirked. "What then? What made you cancel the wedding?"

"Shall we call it 'consciousness'?"

Diana could imagine the perfect arch formed by Selina's eyebrows.

"Nope. No can do. You've told me three weeks ago that he was The One. So… because you cancelled, does that mean that he's not The One anymore?"

"Something like that."

"Are you ever gonna tell me about it?"

Diana sighed. _The good thing about having close female friends is that you can share a lot of things with them. Except for this one…_ "Later, I promise." _As I promised Dinah. After I sort these things out. After I talk to him._

"Really?" Selina sounded doubtful. Diana was preparing herself for another probing question when suddenly her friend at the end of the line barked. "Helena! For God sake! Get out of the kitchen!"

Diana heard a faint childish voice. _'But I want the cookies, Mommy…'_

"I will get it for you later on. Mommy's talking to Aunt Diana."

'_Really? Hi Aunt Diana! When are we playing again? Mommy, I want the cookies now!'_

"Helena Kyle!" Selina sighed desperately.

"She's not in kindergarten today?"

"Sick, bad cold. Leslie ordered bed rest." Dr. Leslie Thompkins was Selina's family doctor, whom Diana befriended as well now.

"Many people seem to catch cold nowadays. Dinah also has it," Diana commented absentmindedly. "The little munchkin doesn't sound too sick, though,"

"Can't you imagine what two days of bed rest can do to a child like Helena? She's so freakin' active now, she wanted to go to school! But Leslie still said no, so I followed her advice." The Catwoman, now a single mother, sighed again. "Don't tell me you're planning to have a child when you marry someone, Di!"

Diana giggled. She had met little Helena Kyle four years ago, and instantly fell in love with the blonde baby. In fact, Baby Helena had been the major driving force behind Catwoman's willingness to help Batman and Wonder Woman in the child trafficking case. Diana could literally see the loving bond between Selina and Helena, and could not help but envy her friend for her gift.

"Oh, I don't know Sel…Perhaps in another life time."

"Yeah, right…" Selina made further non-committal sounds. "Listen, the munchkin's calling, mommy's gotta go. But I swear I will hunt you down for answers, Diana. Just be ready."

"Am I supposed to be frightened?"

"You heard me." Suddenly, Selina added. "By the way, has _he_ called you?"

"Huh?" Diana frowned. "I don't think Tom –"

"No, I don't mean Tom." Selina cut her off. "I mean, Bruce."

'_Uncle Bruce!'_

"Helena…Mommy's talking on the phone, sweetie…" Selina sighed again. "Has Bruce called you? He must have read the papers by now."

"Not sure if he will…" Diana muttered.

"Don't fool yourself, babe. We both know he's not supposed to be with that ."

Now, it was Diana's turn to sigh. Selina's hatred towards Talia was always palpable. In fact, Selina would not even come to Bruce's wedding two years ago, had it not been for Diana. On various occasions, she even hinted that Bruce had actually regretted his decision to marry Talia Al-Ghul.

"It doesn't make any difference, Sel…"

"It does now, as you've cancelled this stupid wedding. Thank God for that. Though I won't be able to wear my new emerald dress. Gosh, Diana! It was gorgeous! I bought it last week down town –"

'_Mommmmyyyyy! Coookiiiieeeesss!'_

"Oh, for Christ's sake!" Selina inhaled, then said sweetly to her five year old daughter. "Helena honey, be right there. Mommy just have to say goodbye to Aunt Di, okay?"

'_Bye Auntie Di! Be quick, Mommy!'_

"Yeah, be quick, Mommy!" Diana giggled again. "Now I know what silences the Catwoman. A daughter to dominate her."

"Yeah. Sam surely knew what he did that day…" Selina muttered, her voice softened. Sam Bradley was Helena's biological father. Despite Selina's strong feelings towards the East End policeman, she had retained her decision of being a single mother. She did not object to Sam's helps though, and occasionally, Diana would find Sam in Selina's luxurious apartment, feeding Helena when Mommy was about to go out with Aunt Diana.

"Look, about the wedding – " Selina still felt obliged to express her concerns. "Why don't you talk to Bruce, eh? I'm sure he's willing to listen. He's done a great deal with Helena, and surely he would with you."

"No doubt on that." _In fact, I am planning to call him. In a few days, after I figure out what I'm going to say._

"So, will you?"

'_Mommyyyyyy!'_

"I will. After you give my Helena her cookies."

Selina snorted. "I just can't win, huh?"

"You shouldn't have let me bath her the other day," Diana chuckled. "Now I'm in love with her."

"Oh, fine! Fine! Cookies comin' up! Don't you dare turn off your communicator, Lady! We haven't finished here!"

"Oh, I wouldn't dare, Ms. Kyle."

Selina hung up and left Diana with a goofy grin. _Somehow, receiving a call from the ex of your secret… well. Let's just say that all was good…_

Diana walked to the instant coffee maker in her room. After making herself a double espresso, she walked to the window and studied the crowds on the street. The number didn't decrease. In fact, it doubled up with more strangers. She sipped her coffee and swept a lock of her hair. Perhaps she should take a day off instead of working at the Embassy today. She looked down again absentmindedly and caught a glimpse of a man walking towards the Embassy. A man unlikely to be here at this stage. She squinted and blinked.

_Gorgon's spit!_

xxx

"Dick! Yo, Dick!"

"What, Capt!" Richard John Grayson looked up from the newspaper he had been reading since this morning, annoyed.

"Get rid of the newspapers!" His captain barked at him. "In fact, give them to me! You're not the only one interested in the news today! Oh, and your wife. Line two."

Dick looked at _the Gotham Gazette _and _the Gotham Morning Herald_ in front of him and grinned. He took the phone, pressed two, and gave his captain a wink as his senior took the newspapers away from him.

"Donna babe, how are you?"

"As good as any insane woman having to deal with questions from two hundred invitees and cancellation fees from the caterings and logistics. Not to mention the dress."

"Get rid of the dress, give it to Cassie instead!" Dick leaned on his chair, put his legs on his desk, and started to fidget with a pen. By the look of his leisure style, no one in the N.Y.P.D. would be able to guess that the long-haired Dick Grayson was also called Nightwing, the fierce commander of the Outsiders.

"She and Kara fought about it – again." Donna gave a dramatic sigh. "When Diana's in mourning, it's up to me to act as the only sane sister to separate them."

"Are you sure she's in mourning?" Dick muttered absentmindedly. "Hey, what happened to the wedding cake?"

"As in?"

"As in, it's already made anyway. So, can we have it?

On the other end of the line, Donna leaned at her working desk at the Embassy and smirked. "Who are 'we'?"

"You and me, babe!"

"No way, Jose! Gave it to Babs, Tim, Cass, and Helena already." Donna meant Helena Bertinelli Szasz, the Huntress, not the four year old Helena Kyle.

Dick couldn't believe his wife. "What!"

"And Victor Szasz, and Victor Stone, and Kory. They love eating wedding cake." She continued rattling while observing her nails.

"Are you going to invite Wally and Linda, Roy, Raven and Gar, too?" Dick was annoyed. "And leave me behind?"

"Hey! Bad luck for the family of the bride to eat the cake of a cancelled wedding!"

"Says who?"

"Says Donna Troy."

"Grayson." Dick smiled. "Donna Troy-Grayson."

"Ahm, yes. I might need to remember that."

Dick chuckled. He and Donna got married last year. They bought an apartment in New York City and settled in. Dick had taken a job as a detective at the N.Y.P.D., while Donna had rebuilt her fashion photography business from her small office in the Themyscira House. In short, happiness had returned to the life of Richard John Grayson. He could accept the destruction of Bludhaven, his previous hometown, and the fact that its reconstruction might not take place in another few years. He even made jokes about his previous relationships and woes, while at the same time maintained his friendships with Barbara Gordon and Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran. Nowadays, both women were involved with two non-vigilantes (a novelist and a radio astronomer respectively), and seemed happy with their lives. For his part, Dick was happy for them too.

"So… Mrs. Troy-Grayson…" He said the name wistfully. "Have you got any news at all about your sister's behavior?"

"Must I tell you that, Mr. Grayson?"

"If you must…" Dick knew too well of Donna's gossip habit. There was no way she would call him today if not to talk about Diana's cancelled wedding.

Donna played with her long hair. "Well… she didn't really say it out loud… but other than the 'He's not The One' speech…"

Richard Grayson leaned forward. "Yeeesss….?"

"I think she actually had someone else on her mind."

Dick pursed his lips. "A recurrence from the past? Did she say who, or only hinted?"

Donna studied her spacious office Diana had given her three years ago. "You might say so." Actually, Diana had said that she needed to settle some issues first. Then she would tell her. _In another life time perhaps._

"Good that finally she realized that, no?"

"I can't put it better myself," Donna admitted. She and Dick had been particularly worried about Diana's choice to marry Tom Tresser. As vigilantes, Nightwing and Donna Troy (Donna had opted for her maiden name for superhero businesses) often came across Nemesis during their missions. By observing him, the newlyweds had actually suspected that this man's appearance, thinking methods, habits, gaits, his mastery in disguise, etc lead to one conclusion: by dating this man, Diana actually wanted to preserve her memory and hope for certain…

"Has my dad called her? She's his friend, anyway…"

"Not that I know of. Diana would certainly have shown the signs, and I wouldn't have missed them for the world."

"Stupid old man!" Dick muttered beneath his breath.

"Again, Mr. Grayson, you're correct. How bright of you…" Donna walked to the big window in her office and glanced outside.

Dick smirked. He loved the word play between him and Donna. "Ah… I did marry you. Of course I am bright…"

"Shush! Wait!" She leaned so close to the window, not believing what she was witnessing.

"What?" Dick gritted his teeth. Donna liked to tease him, and so often she delayed giving out information just for the sake of annoying him.

"Dick…" His wife returned to the phone. "You won't believe who's coming to the Embassy now."

Dick Grayson blinked. There was only one answer to that. "No way! You're not saying that…"

"Your father had just arrived here. He's coming upstairs to see her."

xxx

They had just talked yesterday, but to her it seemed like ages ago. Diana studied the white streaks of his hair, the wrinkles on the corner of his eyes. She smiled to see the way he brought himself in front of her, hands tucked in his pockets, the air of a nonchalant attitude. She looked into his deep blue eyes that used to melt her heart. That _still_ melted her heart.

"Should I be surprised to see you here?"

He made a subtle tilt of his head. "Shouldn't I be here?"

She bit her lip, not knowing that his heart rate tripled at the delightful sight. "I was…just not expecting you to come so soon…in civvies."

He shrugged and smirked. "I like surprises. Part of my charm."

She smiled again. "Don't I know it…"

"So, Madam Ambassador, I think we need to talk. But not here." Bruce Wayne took Diana's hand. "Shall we go outside?"

-TBC-

_Author's note:_

_This story might stretch farther than I originally expected, so please bear with me. As you see, I mostly follow the events of Infinite Crisis and the subsequent story arcs, including the destruction of Bludhaven, Selina's pregnancy, and baby Helena. You won't find any reference about Diana and Selina in Gotham in any DC comics, coz it was in my first fanfic (Daughters of the Moon). About Donna and Dick, well… in 'Return of My Sister' and 'Echoes of the Past', I paired up Donna and Roy Harper. But since I also love Donna and Dick, I switch to this pairing for this alternate story  _

_Aaaannddd… Yes! Rather than disturbing the peaceful marriage of Steve Trevor and Etta Candy, I opted for another blonde to put in the corner: Tom Tresser, the Nemesis. Heheheh… evil grin _


	3. The Man of a Thousand Faces

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Bruce takes Diana to the park. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Thanks so much to my readers for their review and encouragement and to DC Lady for the great beta. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana, with 'Daughters of the Moon' as the loose connection._

**Chapter 3. The Man of a Thousand Faces**

It was a nice midsummer Friday morning in Manhattan, and many people seemed to make excuses to get out of the office and steal a few extra hours before lunchtime. Initially, Bruce was worried that they would bump into people who would recognize the CEO of Wayne Enterprise talking with Wonder Woman, the day the news broke of her cancelled wedding. However, Diana had flown them to the East River Park, away from Themyscira House on Riverside Drive. There weren't that many people around the park that day. Diana's wedding cancellation seemed to attract more newsmakers than her initial wedding plans, and seemingly also attracted more people to the Upper West Side. Just as well.

Originally, he had opted to appear as the Batman, hiding in the shadows of Diana's office. But inexplicably, his urge to maintain secrecy was defeated by his intuition to appear as Bruce. Not Bruce Wayne. Just Bruce. He didn't even drive his car to Themyscira House. Instead, he flew from Gotham to New York in his Batwing, in his full Bat-regalia. Upon arriving in Manhattan, he had changed into his civvies, sent his Batwing back to Gotham, and took a taxi to Themyscira House, thinking all the way.

They stepped out of the bushes where Diana had landed. He looked around at the waterfront, and saw a pair of teenagers grinning at them. He frowned. Did the kids recognize Wonder Woman? Bruce and Diana might not have a chance to talk here, after all. Diana might as well fly them to the Caribbean; they might have a better chance there. But as the teenagers walked away giggling, their youthful eyes twinkling knowingly, he realized that they didn't recognize her at all. Then what…

"Great Gaea! We're such a mess!"

He turned to the woman that had made him unable to sleep for weeks and found her azure eyes twinkling in what seemed to be a mixture of amusement and embarrassment. _Whatta-? _

"We should have tidied up our clothes before we stepped out of the bushes. We look like we just…"

She didn't finish her sentence. Instead, turned away, her face scarlet. Confused, Bruce inspected his clothes…

And found out that his white turtleneck that had been originally tucked neatly in his pants was hanging half out. The collar of his jacket was turned up and his hair was tousled. Diana herself was no better: strands of hair fell out of her chignon, her stylish sunglasses perched atop her nose at an angle, her white blouse was also poking out of her jeans, and her collar turned up as well… In short: They both looked like they just had their sexual activity in the bushes interrupted.

_Oh, God!_ In a split second, Bruce tucked his shirt inside his pants. Then, nonchalantly fixed his jacket, ran fingers through his hair, and cleared his throat as if nothing happened.

_Well, really, nothing happened. I didn't kidnap the bride; she called off her wedding on her own volition. Now, we just need to talk. Nothing happened._

But he knew he was lying to no one but himself. Many things had happened between him and Diana, and her wedding cancellation meant more ramifications would also come. He turned to look at Diana, who had just finished fixing her blouse and hair and was setting her sunglasses back on her nose. Her face was still scarlet, and she didn't look him in the eye.

"You really shouldn't fly us at supersonic speed, Princess. We're not in our uniforms."

His attempt to ease Diana's tension must have worked. She laughed, and it warmed his heart, evoking the courage to talk he lost during their flight. He chuckled.

"Well, may I remind you again, Mr. Wayne that you were the one who suggested that I fly us both out of the Embassy? For the sake of secrecy?"

Her sassiness returned instantly, and he felt much better. Yes, better to face a snappy, sassy, witty Wonder Woman than a bashful Diana.

"Not in _that_ speed, Madam… I might've lost my wallet back there."

"No way, Bruce. We needed enough speed if we wanted to get out of the building untraced. Besides, I held you securely during the flight."

In fact, she embraced him in such a way, Bruce found it hard not to think of the 'what if' questions with regards to his feelings to Diana. It had been quite a long time since Wonder Woman had flown him, the Batman, in such a fashion. He was glad, and also disappointed, when the short trip had reached its destination.

He decided not to answer Diana's comment and the silence fell into awkwardness. Bruce just smirked and took in the surroundings. Some seniors walked along the waterfront promenade, but the occupants of the park were mostly teenagers. _Good. Teenagers don't usually recognize Wonder Woman or Bruce Wayne. Or do they?_

"Good to know that the 'Diana Prince' disguise still works…" he muttered absentmindedly.

She smiled. "It was your idea anyway, Bruce…"

"Yes, but you've since mastered the art of disguise." Bruce turned to inspect her. Indeed, had people been paying attention , they might really miss Wonder Woman under the guise.

Back at her office, Diana had taken off her tiara, fixed her hair into bun, then put on large rimmed sunglasses. A dark long-sleeved blazer completed the guise. She placed her vambraces and the Lasso of Truth into the handbag she carried. All in all, people would just consider her to be a tall gorgeous woman with a pair of fancy sunglasses.

"Well…" she smiled. "You're not the only master of disguise here, Mr. Wayne."

"No, of course not. I'm sure you learned a lot from Nemesis."

He wanted to slap himself the moment the words were spoken.. Diana looked taken aback and went into silence.

"Oh, God." He fingered his dark hair again. "Diana…I'm sorry. I didn't mean… "

"It's okay, Bruce. It was the truth anyway." She looked at him.

The sunrays penetrated her sunglasses, showing Bruce her hurt look.

"I wish we could have talked two years ago." He massaged the bridge of his nose nervously. "It may have made a difference."

"Of course it would have." She sounded bitter. "You wouldn't have married Talia."

An uncomfortable silence fell between them. Talia. Nemesis. Would they be able to overcome them in the end?

"I was hoping that we would be able to overcome this. In the end," Bruce added hastily, studying the green grass where he stood.

She seemed to hesitate, then asked, "How's Talia?"

"What?" Bruce looked up to her. "Oh, yes. She… she sends her regards. She…went to Tuscany this morning."

Diana tilted her head, in apparent confusion.

"I…I think…" Why was it so hard to speak? "I think she finally reached the same conclusion that I've come to a few months ago." As if turning once more into a seventeen year old, Bruce's foot fiddled with the green grass below.

"Is that so?" Diana whispered as she walked to a nearby bench and sat down, hands cupping her chin.

Bruce followed suit, sitting across from her at the wooden table. They were quiet for several minutes. Bruce traced invisible marks onto the table, his brain trying to find anything to say, Diana gazing at the East River behind him.

Their musings would've continued for several more minutes, he was certain, had a ball not wisped past them. Diana saw it coming, but Bruce reacted first. He caught the ball with one hand.

"Nice catch, Mister!"

Bruce was silent. In the process of catching the ball, Diana's sunglasses were knocked off, giving Bruce an unobstructed view of her azure eyes. He was struck by the look that seemed to radiate from them. Was it love?

"Hey, Mister! Can we have the ball, please?"

"Yo, Mam! Can you ask your husband to give us the ball?"

Diana laughed, seemed nervous. "Bruce, they want to continue their game…"

"What? Oh…"

Bruce Wayne mumbled something incoherently, tossed the ball back to the boys, and then began to study the weathered paint of the table.

"Thanks, Mister!"

Just like that, the two boys disappeared. Bruce and Diana looked up at the same time. And suddenly, out of the blue, they laughed. It was such a joyous laughter, it made some passerby stop and take a glance at them before resuming their walk.

"Newlyweds…" murmured a pair of elderly citizens.

Bruce stopped laughing, and looked into Diana's eyes. She was radiant, as if the sun rose from within her. He gulped before blurting out,

"You're so beautiful…"

She looked away, blushing. "Bruce…"

"You okay?" He braced himself as he reached for her hand, taking it into his. Her hands were cold. Definitely not because of the weather. _She's nervous…_ He caressed her thumb with his.

"I'm fine…" Diana made an effort to withdraw her hand, but then conceded. She bit her lip. "Clark and Lois called me early this morning. After the news was out."

Bruce arched his eyebrow. "They did? What did they say?"

"Well…Clark asked me if I was okay." She looked at him and smiled. "If I was sure that this was the right choice."

He shrugged. "He wasn't sure about this wedding from the start."

Diana nodded. "That's what's so funny. He was like a big brother asking me what Tom had done. And when I said it was me, he asked if I was drunk when I made the decision. He seemed relieved when I said no." She chuckled. "I guess he tried to reassure himself that it wasn't a joke."

Bruce chuckled as well and shook his head.

"Lois was irritated, though. She said that her lavender gown was expensive, and she really wanted to wear it." Diana chuckled. "She demanded a royal girls-night-out so that she could wear the dress."

Bruce laughed. "Sounds like Lois."

Diana also laughed. "Yes. Then Steve and Etta called." She shrugged. "They all wanted to know what happened."

"So they cancelled their ticket here?"

"No. They just extended the date. They still wanted to visit me in a few weeks. Otherwise, I'd pay for their cancelled trip."

Bruce nodded. "I think I should do that, actually."

She shook her head. "No, Bruce. Don't."

He looked her in the eye. "Diana, I talked you into this."

"But it was my decision, Bruce. I will handle the repercussions of it."

He looked at her, then exhaled and shook his head. "We made a mess of things, didn't we?"

She looked back at him. Their eyes met.

"Yes, we did. A bad habit, actually. But we always did that…"

"Not always." He pursed his lips and squeezed her fingers. "We're going to make it right this time, Princess. We're going to make it right."

It took a while before she smiled and returned his squeeze. "I hope so, Bruce. I hope so."

xxx

_Summer, previous year_

Rrrinngg…rrriiingg…!

Diana had heard the doorbell ringing, but didn't have the energy to get up and answer it. No one was at the Embassy, and she had just returned from a charity event at the Gotham City Plaza where she met the dazzling Bruce Wayne and his new wife, Talia Head. Oh, not new, of course. They'd gotten married half a year ago. She should be over it by now. But she could not lie to herself. Not when she had the Lasso of Truth on her hip.

Rrrinngg…rrriiingg…!

She groaned and grabbed a pillow to cover her head. She had two glasses of wine and a glass of Champagne, and felt that her whole world was turned upside down. She wondered how she managed to cross the night sky between Gotham and New York unharmed, not crashing into the Lady of Justice or Lady Liberty _en route._ Batman had even contacted her via her communicator during the flight. 'Just to make sure you're all right', he had said.

Diana snorted and tossed away the pillow. _'Just to make sure you're all right'. Yeah, right. Damned you, Bruce! _ She blinked. _Now, why's that light so bright, eh?_

Grumpily, she realized that she had thrown away her pillow. She was about to grab another one when she heard the insolent door bell ringing again.

Rrrinngg…rrriiingg…!

"Hades! Why can't they just leave me alone!"

She tried to get up and leave the bed, but tumbled over her red silk long gown, and fell unceremoniously to the floor. She sat down, then sobbed helplessly.

_Oh, Lady Aphrodite, help me to forget him…forget him…_

Her lasso burned at her side, and she began to loose her patience. She unhooked the golden lasso, hurled it across the room, and resumed her crying.

Brrtt…brrrtt….

This time, her mobile phone buzzed. She wanted to ignore the audacious gadget when suddenly a thought struck her. _What if it's an emergency? And why not use the League communicator? Did my communicator go off somehow!_

Her warrior nature emerged as she stumbled again before standing, and rummaged through her bag to retrieve her cell phone. She frowned at the caller ID and flicked the apple green Motorola open.

"Yes?" her croaky but alarmed voice answered.

"Diana? You okay?"

_What? - _ "Yes…I'm fine. What… "

"Are you at the Embassy?"

"Uh…yes… I…"

"Why didn't anyone answer the door! I've been standing outside the gate for almost fifteen minutes!"

"Uh… no one's here. I mean…" She grinned to herself. "I'm here, of course. But Ferdinand's out with Leslie. Donna's not here of course, she's downtown… so I'm alone…" Yes. Ferdinand the Khitotaur was dating Dr. Leslie Anderson. Donna had just married Richard Grayson last spring and moved to Greenwich Village downtown. And she, Diana of Themyscira, was alone. _Alone_. Blinking several times, she fought the urge to cry again.

"Well… okay… Coz, I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop by."

"Uh-huh…"

"Well, can you open the gate?"

"Huh?"

"Jeezz! What's got into you tonight? Open. The. Gate?"

"Oh, gate. Yes."

Once again, the semi-drunk Wonder Woman staggered her way down the stairs. At the lobby, she activated the security video that immediately showed her the face of her guest and pushed the gate button. Thirty feet away from the main door, the Embassy gate opened. It closed and locked itself again securely as the guest of the night strolled into the garden.

Before opening the door, Diana cast a quick glance at the large mirror above the lobby console. She gasped. Her eyes were red and wet, her hair a mess, and her clothes disheveled. Luckily she didn't wear heavy make-up, just moisturizer and a light sweep of lipstick; she might look gothic now if she wore mascara that wears down…

Rriiinggg…rrinnggg…

_Oh, Hades!_

Realizing that she had no time to freshen up her appearance, she gave up and opened the door.

"God! Finally! I thought I'm gonna rot there outside! Hey, listen. I brought a little something for you. Maybe we can eat together. I…"

Her guest stopped mid-sentence and just stared at her. "Gosh. You look a mess, Diana. Are you okay?"

Diana looked up to a pair of concerned, golden hazel eyes and broke down.

"No. No… Tom. I'm not okay…"

She threw herself at Nemesis who caught her with apparent concern.

xxx

"So, are you gonna tell me what's going on?"

They were in the Embassy's twelve by twelve wooden kitchen, drinking hot chocolate. To be precise, Tom Tresser made her a cup of hot chocolate, and after helping himself with a cup of cappuccino, he sat across Diana, studying her.

Diana gracefully took a gulp of chocolate and looked up. She chuckled. "I look a mess, huh?"

"You said it, Lady." Nemesis shook his head, half amused, half worried. Then, with a softened voice he asked again what happened.

"Nothing. Really, nothing." Diana sniffled. "I just drank too much wine and Champaign… and suddenly I wanted to cry. Okay? Nothing. Really…"

Tom snorted, not buying her story. "Where were you?"

"Huh?"

"Tonight. Before I saw you come home." He sipped his coffee. "Where were you?"

"Oh. I…" _Hey, wait a minute!_ "You saw me coming home?"

He smirked.

She squinted. "Were you spying on me!"

"Hey, cut it out, Lady! I was just walking in the neighborhood when I saw you flying by. In this red dress. The night's still young. So, I'm inviting myself."

"Vegetarian hotdog?" Diana raised her eyebrows, glancing at the two brown bags on the table.

"One vegetarian, one with real sausage." He grinned when she grimaced. "I've asked that it be put into separate bags."

"Oh, well…Uhmmm…very nice of you…"

"You're welcome." He smiled, then continued, "So, what happened?"

She swept up her messy hair. "Nothing. I was just being stupid."

"Yeah?" His golden hazel eyes drilled into her, a look eloquent with concerns.

"Yes." She faltered and looked away.

He decided not to press the matter further. "Well, that's okay. We all do stupid things sometimes. Often. " He looked at her again and shrugged. "Some people more than others ".

Diana chuckled. "How about you, Tom? Why were you just in the neighborhood?"

"Me?" He met her watery azure eyes and fought the urge to wipe away the tears. "I was just enjoying the night… that's all."

"In Manhattan on a Friday night?"

"Hey, you went to Gotham!"

"Aha! So, you _were_ spying on me!"

He made the expression of a kid caught in mummy's cookie jar, then looked away. Feeling that she hit one score higher, Diana continued. "I was attending a charity event. I had an excuse to be in Gotham. Unlike you. You have no excuse at all for leaving Washington D.C."

"Says who?" Nemesis looked at her again. "I do."

_Huh?_ "What then?" Diana counted off the possibilities with her fingers one by one. "Shopping? Oh, no. Nemesis doesn't like shopping. In fact, he _hates_ shopping. Terrorism threat? No. I would have known about it and returned home before you reached the city."

He smirked at that one.

Diana raised a third finger. "Wonder Woman's rouge gallery showing up again? No. Because Wonder Woman and Nemesis have an agreement that he would not show up in New York, unless called upon."

The muscular 6' 2" chuckled and shook his head. "Still got that snappy habit, do you?"

Diana folded her hands together, leaned back into her chair, and smirked. "So. What are your excuses then?"

Tom Tresser looked into the azure eyes, not so watery now. He sighed, leaned toward the table, and folded his hands together like hers. He then supported his chin with one hand before giving a careful reply.

"I miss you. That's all. I thought I'd just say hi and leave afterwards. But the truth is, I miss you."

Diana blinked. She wanted to mutter an intelligent respond, but failed to find one.

xxx

A few weeks later, her sisters and friends wanted to know how she started dating the Man of a Thousand Faces, her ex-partner during her times in the Department of Metahuman Affairs, Diana could not remember all of the details. She remembered Tom coming that night in his black jeans and trademark black turtleneck sweater, his blond fauxhawk hair tousled by the night wind of New York, claiming that he had just been in the neighborhood. She also recalled the vegetarian hotdog he'd brought for her, and the hot chocolate he made with such confidence, as if he had been in his own kitchen. Then him telling her that it was okay to cry, everyone made stupid mistakes sometimes.

But she didn't remember how she suddenly found herself in his embrace and who actually first kissed who. She just recalled the sweetness of his lips, his tan unshaven chin, his golden eyes, his blond eyebrows, his messy blond hair.

She remembered his subsequent attempts to feel her half naked back, squeeze her breasts, and touch her inner thighs, and how she had pushed him away when he had tried to unzip her dress. She could remember how she felt when she sank down into a corner of the kitchen, crying helplessly. And how he gingerly approached her, apologized for his behavior, and said that he would leave.

But, she failed to remember how they ended up in her room, Nemesis holding her, shushing her, until she fell asleep. She had awoken the next day to find herself covered with her blanket, clothes intact. She also found a small note on the nightstand.

_You look like an angel when sleeping. _

_Sorry for last night. I'll refrain from coming until you're okay. _

_T._

She had called him that very morning. They went to a movie that evening, and when she didn't kiss him goodbye, let alone sleep with him afterwards, he just smiled and kissed the air instead.

A week later, Diana of Themyscira officially dated the Nemesis.

-TBC-

_Author's note:_

_Errhmmm… I picked Tom Tresser because I felt that an edgy character is easier to write (and for the sake of further banter with the Batman) as opposed to a goodie-goodie character like Steve Trevor (plus, I respect Etta Candy…). But it turned out that Tom might also be a very interesting character of his own. It's just… sigh … he so looks like the Batman in habit, tactics, ability, etc (including his 'working alone policy'), I can't help thinking that if Diana really dates him, it's because she sees the Bat traits in Nemesis._

_FYI, Nemesis' eyes in scanned comics that I found were blue. But blue eyes and blond hair seem so redundant, so I opted for golden hazel. Got a cute American friend with golden eyes myself. Gosh, ain't he gorgeous!_

_And I just made up the locations for Themyscira House and Donna's apartment. I like to think the Themyscira House as a nice mansion with direct access to a river, so I picked Riverside Drive for the new TH. And Donna, well, she's a very artistic person anyway, Greenwich Village would fit her, I think. Not a New Yorker of course, but Wikipedia and Google helped a lot! _


	4. The Eyes Have It

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Ch 4: Nemesis asked Diana what happened with Bruce Wayne._

_Thanks so much to my readers for their review and encouragement. Special thanks to DC Lady and Athena Phoenix for the great beta. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 4. The Eyes Have It**

_Jerk._

That would have been Wonder Woman's comment four years ago, should anyone have asked her opinion of Nemesis. Indeed, from their first meeting, the man had openly demonstrated his distrust of her, Diana Prince, the newest recruit of the Department of Metahuman Affairs (DMA). A rude, sarcastic man, Thomas Tresser had stated his 'working alone' policy and would not have let Diana help him in the 'Wonder Woman' case, had it not been for Sarge Steel's urging. Of course, later on he had realized that Diana Prince was also Wonder Woman.

Afterwards, with help from Robin and Wonder Girl, Diana and Nemesis assisted Donna Troy – the Wonder Woman of that time – in fighting Diana's old enemies. Soon, Giganta, Cheetah, and Dr. Psycho were arrested and processed by the DMA and the police. Later, Donna returned the mantle of Wonder Woman to Diana, stating with a grin that 'the Titans' rogues' gallery is friendlier than yours.'

Diana Prince worked with Nemesis in the DMA for several other cases. Contrary to her first opinion of the man, Tom turned out to be a good partner after all, willing to listen to her ideas, albeit after several painful discussions. After all, she was no novice where painful discussions were concerned. She had faced Batman and Green Arrow in various arguments. In addition, her prolonged debates with national leaders on various issues, ranging from peace negotiations, gender equality, illegal logging, and global warming, had made her somewhat of an expert. Eventually, Diana had admitted to Tom that she could actually live with him as her DMA partner. Tom didn't quite know how to take the admission, but later decided that it was a cloaked compliment.

Slowly but surely, Nemesis himself found that Diana Prince was a fun partner to work with anyway. She was smart, sassy, and witty. Diana always had snappy comments about many of the things that he did or thought about. And she was always willing to discuss things with him, eventually coming up with win-win solutions. The disastrous day when Sarge Steel paired him up with Agent Diana Prince turned out to be not so bad at all.

However, once he realized that his newest partner was also Wonder Woman, Tom realized that it was only a matter of time until Diana returned to her own habitat of humanitarian-environmental work and international diplomacy, rather than dealing with such 'mundane' issues as metahuman registration (which Diana naturally opposed) and the growing numbers of metahumans outside the U.S.

The event that brought Diana back to her original calling was the return of Paradise Island from its alternate dimension. Four winters ago, in a mission to find her Amazon sisters, Wonder Woman, Donna Troy, and Wonder Girl had disappeared for nearly two months. They returned in early spring the following year, together with the reappearance of Paradise Island in its original location, away from the U.S. east coast. It was spectacular news, covered on all of the networks as the return of the Amazon nation: Themyscira. A nation of two Amazonian tribes, the Themysciran and the Bana-Mighdallian, with Diana as their Ambassador.

So, Diana Prince had left the Department of Metahuman Affairs and once again became the Themysciran Ambassador, rebuilding an Embassy with her old loyal team: Peter Garibaldi, Rachel Keast, Alana Dominguez, Ferdinand the Khitotaur, and Dr. Leslie Anderson. Once again, Diana chose New York City as the Embassy's headquarters. Although Themyscira was a prosperous nation, that didn't stop the philanthropist Bruce Wayne from helping to rebuild the Embassy in a new location on Riverside Drive, facing the Hudson River, blocks away from its original location at 79th Street around the Central Park that was now the Embassy of Kahndaq. Later on, Nemesis would find that Bruce often attended Themysciran receptions, the first one to be the grand opening of the new Embassy building the next summer.

Tom Tresser was, of course, invited to the grand opening party. He'd come to Manhattan that evening with Sarge Steel, who of course had known Diana's identity as Wonder Woman. By the time they arrived, the Embassy garden was filled with guests. Nemesis recognized several Amazons (Donna Troy, Wonder Girl, Archon Artemis, Supreme Chancellor Phillipus) and Hercules standing next to the podium. Nemesis's years-long experience as a solitary vigilante (and later in the Suicide Squad and the DMA) also enabled him to recognize several costumed heroes milling about in the garden. Some foreign Ambassadors and national public figures were also in attendance.

After serving himself a drink (an exotic mix called Amazonian punch), he stood idly in the corner of the fragrant Greco-Roman garden of the new Themyscira House, staring at Wonder Woman, who was giving an opening speech a few feet away. He listened as the former princess thanked everyone for inviting Themyscira to rejoin the international community, and for the warm welcome back as its Ambassador.

Swirling his wine glass, Tom smirked as he heard Diana mentioning Maxwell Lord's murder two years ago. He glanced at lawyer Kate Spencer, who sat in the front row. Kate had helped Diana officially clear her name six months ago. Although Tom himself thought that Diana's action was justified, he couldn't help but admire her today, sincerely acknowledging the different opinions with regard to the circumstances, and expressing her hope that such a situation would not happen ever again. A standing ovation followed Diana's closing comments (on her hope that one day the Earth would triumph as one peaceful international community). She stood idly at the podium for a while, glowing in the evening lights, failing miserably at holding back her tears of joy.

Nemesis remained until the ceremony was over. He listened to Superman, who expressed his gratitude for Wonder Woman's assistance during the last crisis. The press would later record it as the second time where Superman acknowledged that Wonder Woman had killed Max Lord in her attempt to free him from mind control; the first one being Wonder Woman's post-crisis hearing. Superman also thanked Bruce Wayne, who sat next to Diana in the front row, for his contributions to the new Themyscira House. Nemesis knew that the billionaire had come all the way from Gotham just for this event, and he couldn't dismiss the inexplicable pang of jealousy he felt. Especially at seeing how Diana's face always seemed to sparkle when she was in the presence of the notorious playboy.

The night rolled on, and so far Nemesis hadn't been able to talk with Diana. Being the host at such an event required her undivided attention to all of her guests. Tom pondered the idea of speaking to Donna Troy instead, leaving his regards to Diana with her, when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"You're not leaving before you say hello, are you, Tom?"

Nemesis smiled, and turned to face her. "Hello, Diana."

She was dressed in a white Amazonian ceremonial robe, beautiful and serene as the Moon above.

"Or shall I say, Madam Ambassador?"

"You can still call me Diana Prince," she said, winking.

Tom smirked. "What's in a name, anyway?"

Remembering that Tom had been an actor before becoming a vigilante and joining the intelligence network, Diana laughed. "Shakespeare? Still, so true." Then she studied him and smiled. "I thought you wouldn't come."

"Oh? I wouldn't miss this for the world," he said nonchalantly. In fact, his sole reason for coming here was that he feared it would be the last time he would see her before she was sucked into her superhero and diplomatic roles.

As if reading his mind, the newly-inaugurated Ambassador touched his hand. "We'll be in touch, right, Tom? I think our paths will cross quite often still."

"I don't know." He shrugged, trying to look as if he didn't care. "Sarge might put me in another mission soon. Anyway, you can contact me through Sarge or Batman. They would know how to find me." In fact, Tom wanted to beg her not to delete his mobile number after tonight. "Speaking of which, where's Batman? I don't see him tonight."

"He's… occupied, I guess, in Gotham." She smiled, glancing at the crowd. "Gotham comes first for Batman."

Tom lifted an eyebrow. "Ah, yes…Well. I gotta go now. Washington comes first for Nemesis."

She chuckled and hit his hand. "Don't you dare come here uninvited, then. This is my town again, and I'm ready for anything now."

"Yeah…I know…" He smirked and walked away, hands tucked inside his pants. A few feet away, he turned automatically to get a last glimpse of Wonder Woman, and found her talking with that billionaire Bruce Wayne again. Nemesis clenched his jaw and left.

xxx

Nemesis had missed seeing Diana. Since the re-opening of Themyscira House three years ago, he had hoped that Sarge Steel would give him missions that would cross paths with her. But it never happened. He would, however, keep tabs on her through intelligence reports, or on various news channels that seemed to worship her again. He followed the coverage of her actions in Thailand, Japan, Italy, and Egypt. He saw reports of her mission to Kahndaq, where she paired with that newbie Isis and the Black Adam on a local issue. He listened to her remarks during the opening of the latest Wonder Woman Foundation project in Mongolia on the arid land irrigation system, carried live by _CNN_. He also found her in gossip columns which spoke of her attendance at local and national charities, most often in Gotham City. Her pictures often depicted her talking or dancing with Bruce Wayne. Nemesis was beginning to think that the playboy had a sincere interest in the ex-Princess.

Then suddenly, she disappeared from the gossip columns. Tom still found her pictures in _the Daily Planet_ or other national newspapers, but always about her saving the world (or a child, you name it), or her humanitarian missions. After a year, she reappeared again briefly as a guest in a spectacular nationwide wedding news: the wedding of Bruce Wayne. Yup. That playboy seemed to lose his interest on Wonder Woman, and married a certain Talia Head instead. Nemesis had frowned while reading Talia's dossier: she was the daughter of Ra's Al-Ghul, the cruel Ecofascist demon who would not blink when detonating a town or a country for the sake of 'protecting Planet Earth'. Talia also used to work for LexCorp for several years before the downfall of ex-President Luthor. In short, she was a very dangerous woman. _But who the hell cares about her? It's up to Wayne to marry her anyway. _

But Nemesis couldn't fool himself. It wasn't Bruce Wayne he was concerned about. It was Diana. The snapshots and footage he found about that particular wedding always showed a poised Diana, sitting between Donna Troy and a short-haired green-eyed woman (later he would realize it was Selina Kyle, the Catwoman). Diana was always smiling and looked sincerely happy for her philanthropist-playboy friend. But her azure eyes wouldn't tell a lie: she was sad as well.

_Not my business,_ he shrugged. Then he busied himself with his newest mission: helping Kimiyo Hoshi, Dr. Light II, in preventing nuclear war between Japan and North Korea. He secretly hoped that Wonder Woman would join in later on, as world peace was definitely her regular mantra. Yet, the mission went on and finished without her presence.

xxx

_Spring, previous year_

Nemesis's chance to meet Wonder Woman had come unexpectedly during the spring of the previous year: the wedding of Donna Troy and Richard John Grayson. Being old friends, Donna had kindly invited him to attend her wedding, and Tom didn't think twice about booking his reservation. Out of curiosity, he then looked up Richard Grayson's files, but found nothing other than he used to be a policeman at the Bludhaven P.D., used to date many women, including Barbara Gordon, daughter of the former Gotham Commissionaire James Gordon, and that he was also Bruce Wayne's adopted son. _Fine, so Donna married a commoner. An ex-playboy, Wayne's son. Godspeed._

Tom found the newlyweds showered in happiness on one fine Saturday morning, in the back garden of Themyscira House, directly overlooking the Hudson River. The wedding was kept small, only Donna's and Grayson's inner circles came. Some policemen who used to work in Bludhaven prior to its destruction was there, talking with Donna's husband. Some costumed metahumans were present, of course, chatting with Donna and her sister, Diana. Nemesis also saw Lois Lane, a Daily Planet reporter and twice Pulitzer price winner who usually frequented any metahuman events. Next to her, was Clark Kent, another Daily Planet reporter. Then Nemesis saw Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake, Bruce's other adopted son. Coming without his wife, the billionaire stood only a few steps away from Diana, but Madam Ambassador seemed too occupied with her sister's wedding to talk to him. _Good. Very good._

However, Wayne finally found his time to beckon Diana, and talked with her at the corner. Nemesis shrugged, and went to Donna and her husband. A few minutes later, after congratulating the newlyweds, he looked around to find Diana. Gorgeous as ever in her pink marshmallow gown, Madam Ambassador was standing alone now by the small pond, absentmindedly looking at some _koi_ fishes the Japan Ambassador had donated during the Embassy's opening ceremony two years ago.

"I thought a sibling should be happy for her sister's wedding."

She turned and gave a sincere smile. "Hello, Tom. Thank you for coming."

"Late as usual, sorry. Got a mission I had to finish first."

"Another one?"

"Yup. Another one."

They fell into friendly silence for a while before he blurted out again.

"So, why are you standing here, idle?"

She tilted her head, arching her fine eyebrows. "Can't I?"

"Not at your sister's wedding, you don't."

She looked away. "Well…don't get me wrong, Tom. I'm so happy for her. It's just…" she sighed and swept a lock of her raven hair. "I know that now she also belongs to someone else, and that's a bit hard to digest."

Tom realized that Diana was telling the truth. Despite being brotherless (his brother had been murdered years ago), he knew that people usually cried at their sibling's marriage. Happy tears, mixed with sadness that she or he was now somebody else's significant other. Diana's attitude was actually understandable. Nemesis also saw that Cassandra Sandsmark (Wonder Girl) and Kara Zor-El (Supergirl) had cried during the simple christo-pagan ceremony. However, somehow he also sensed that Donna's changing status to Mrs. Grayson wasn't the only reason for Diana's gloomy look.

Yet, despite his nonchalant and often rude demeanor, Tom Tresser knew better than to push a certain Diana of Themyscira to talk about something that she didn't want to. Hence, he changed the subject and talked about other things, notably his missions for the last two years. Diana finally told a few stories about her own missions, and they started to have conversations the way it used to be. Back to the DMA time, when Diana Prince was his partner.

Their discussion session was then joined by some folks: Karen Starr (Nemesis recognized her as Power Girl), Dinah Lance-Queen (Black Canary, also the wife of Star City Mayor Oliver Queen), Roy Harper (better known as Arsenal), a Helena Bertinelli Szasz, and Selina Kyle, a.k.a. the Catwoman. Selina had bought daughter Helena to the wedding, and now Tom saw with excitement how Diana cooed and sang for the three-year-old, her face lit for a moment.

Nemesis left Donna's party with a much lifted spirit, knowing that he had reestablished his connection with Wonder Woman. His hunch couldn't be truer; Diana called him a few days later, on his mobile, specifically asking him to help the Justice League on a metahuman case in Hawaii. This mission lead to other missions; and by the time summer came, Nemesis once again found himself in regular communication with Diana of Themyscira.

xxx

_Summer, previous year._

"You still haven't told me why you were in the neighborhood that night."

They were at the Riverside Park by the Hudson River, a few blocks away from Themyscira House, sitting at one of the iron-wooden benches along the promenade. They'd been dating for almost a month now, and it was one of their favorite places to hang around. Actually, it was one of Diana's favorite places in Manhattan; the river reminded her of Themyscira, she had said. Why and how a Hudson River could bear any possible semblance with the Paradise Island, Tom couldn't comprehend. It didn't matter though, for he liked the place anyway. Especially when they were stargazing like this: him sitting, Diana placing her head on his lap, her legs leisurely resting on the bench's arm. His fingers were stroking her raven hair, which spilled like black silk over his lap. The ex-Princess herself was folding her hands, eyes gazing at the stars above, trying to count the stars in the hazy night of Manhattan.

"Mmmhmmm…" he didn't answer, only continuing his caress on Diana's tresses.

"You weren't just having a night walk, were you?"

He remained silent, only smiling, and later on bent to kiss the goddess on her forehead. Diana usually liked it, but this time she frowned and got up.

"What?"

"Tell. Me. Tom." She squinted and leaned into her boyfriend. Nemesis held his breath to fight the urge of smelling the exotic fragrance of Diana's hair, so close to his nostrils.

"What for?"

"I have the right to know."

"Yeah?" His golden hazel eyes searched inside her.

The azure eyes didn't blink. "Yes."

He sighed and stretched his hands. "Okay. If you must know. But this also means that you should later tell me what happened in Gotham."

Diana blinked this time, her lips moved to say something. Then, "Deal. Shoot."

Nemesis fixed his position. He scrutinized Diana's azure eyes before answering. "I was really in Manhattan, talking to an informant."

She narrowed her eyes again. "On what case?"

"Top secret." He gave her a careless smile.

"Hah."

"Afterwards, I took a walk downtown. Just to spend some time before going home to D.C. And I passed by some shops, one of them an electronics store." He saw her eyebrows knit together again, then resumed. "TVs in the window, some of them were showing live coverage of a certain charity event in Gotham City."

At this, Diana withdrew. She looked away to the river, gloom all over her demeanor. Tom, of course, was aware of this.

"Shall we continue?" When his girlfriend didn't reply, Nemesis added, "'Cause after this, it's your turn to give me the explanation."

Diana didn't object or agree on his notion. In fact, she didn't move at all. But Nemesis couldn't care less. He had wanted to bring up this subject, and when Diana herself had started it, he had thought that this was the right time._ The Truth will out_.

"The charity was packed with Gotham celebrities, of course, including Bruce and Talia Wayne." He saw that Diana didn't even blink at the mention of the name. "Apparently, Mrs. Wayne was already drunk before coming to the charity. She bubbled up about something, then suddenly kissed her husband passionately. The TV really took this opportunity, and the fact that Bruce Wayne returned the kiss with equal passion of course made it like a live MTV exposure."

Diana blinked once. He continued.

"While most channels showed the Waynes kissing, one particular channel switched and swept to the whole audience. To show the viewers the guests' reaction to the kissing competition, I guess. It was then when I saw you."

Nemesis stopped, glancing at Diana who looked away, further than the river in front of them. He hesitated before resuming, slower this time.

"You were grinning, of course. But your eyes belied your smile. In fact, your eyes almost welled, and you looked like you were restraining your tears."

Diana didn't say a word. In fact, she didn't seem to register Tom's words at all.

"It was only a brief moment, Diana. Only four seconds or so. Then the scenes changed again, back to the Waynes. But by then, I already found what I needed to know. By then, I had made up my mind to wait for you to return home to New York. In which you did. When I later saw you flying by, I decided to drop in. And you know the rest of the story."

When she still didn't move, Tom finally gave in. Gently, he touched her chin and turned her head to face him.

"You were obviously hurt by what the Waynes did, Diana. But you wouldn't react like that unless there was a driving factor."

She blinked, and a drop of tear fell. He sighed.

"What did Wayne do to you, Diana?"

xxx

Retrospectively, Diana would realize that Nemesis's understanding towards her might be the major factor of her interest in her former DMA partner. She saw his golden heart behind his often-caustic comments and reckless appearance, hidden beneath his air of nonchalant. She was touched by his very action of coming that night after the Gotham charity just to make sure that she was alright. And the other night by the river, after he told her what he saw at the charity, after he let her cry silently in his embrace, she was touched again by his careful way of asking what Bruce Wayne had done to her.

After a few moments of silence, Diana told him that, in the past, Bruce had indeed showed some interest in her, starting at the time of the Embassy rebuild. Then the billionaire had started to show specific interests, and that was when she had decided to end their relationship before it really started.

"What did he want precisely, Diana?" Nemesis was irritated that he let his jealousy slip into his tones. But he was even angrier to think of a rich playboy like Bruce Wayne playing with Diana, and that the Wonder Woman herself had let him did that.

"He…" she bit her lip in reluctance. "He wanted to sleep with me…"

Tom really had to restrain himself from swearing. Instead, he pursed his lips and clenched his jaws.

"Then…did you…" inexplicably, he found himself afraid of the answer. It was silly, he realized. Premarital sex was common everywhere, there was no reason why Wonder Woman wouldn't…

"No," she said firmly. She blinked back her tears, fixed her tousled hair, then turned to him. "I didn't."

Jaw dropped, he blinked this time. "But, why?"

She showed her reluctance once more.

"Because…Because I would lose _it_…" she whispered, almost inaudible.

Nemesis blinked again several times before realizing that Diana of Themyscira, the Wonder Woman, was still a virgin. During their few weeks together, being a normal man, Tom often got irritated that Diana never wanted to go further than kissing and touching. He then thought that Diana might be a lesbian, or that she might not like him after all. But her dreamy look whenever they were together in intimate moments, her passionate way of kissing him back as he parted her lips and searched for her tongue, her sighs and moans as he pressed himself forward, all told him that Diana was also a normal woman who would like to make love with a normal man. But something was not right. Something…prevented her from doing so.

Though curious, he then submitted to the thought that Diana just wasn't ready. But her statements just now led him to another conclusion: Wonder Woman was a traditional woman; didn't want to have sex before the wedding ceremony.

Tom Tresser didn't quite know how to take this new knowledge. Yet he knew two things though: that Bruce Wayne was truly a bastard who dumped Diana because she didn't want to sleep with him. And that from now on, Nemesis made it a personal issue that he would make Diana happy, no matter what.

He looked at the gloomy but determined woman in front of him, who also happened to be the Wonder Woman and Madam Ambassador of Themyscira nation, with a new perspective. And when she attempted to talk again, he put his forefinger on her lips.

"Shusssh…say no more. Say no more." He looked into her azure eyes. "I see it, babe. I understand. Shussh…"

They remained like that for another hour; him sitting on the wooden chair, her sitting on his lap, embracing him. He hugged her with a new perception now, and when she fell asleep on the park bench, he resisted his primeval urge to unbutton her dress and kiss her divine breasts. Instead, he planted a soft kiss on her lips. She stirred in her sleep, and he smiled as the result.

-TBC-

_Author's note:_

_I think I have to have my brain checked. I started to like Nemesis! Help! evil grin _

_I realized that WW#2 mentioned that the charge against Wonder Woman was dropped on the argument that it was a self-defense. However, Manhunter#25 had Wonder Woman visiting Kate Spencer for advice. Whilst it might be in the past before Diana retook the mantle of Wonder Woman, for the sake of this story (that is not yet told by DC at this point), I assumed that Diana came to Kate after she became the Wonder Woman once more._

_I again made up the location Kahndaq Embassy, or the old Themyscira House. The WW comics that I had didn't show that the old embassy was by the river or something. Thus, and because Themyscira gold would definitely be able to afford expensive properties, I set the old embassy around the Central Park. I could be wrong, of course, but what the heck…_

_Oh, after Hera's kick during the Rucka run, the floating Paradise Island plummeted to the sea and destroyed many of its building (WW#201). The kick also caused a large tsunami wave at Carolina's coast, as it turned out that Paradise Island was located only a few hundred miles off U.S. east coast then. Though Diana and Wonder Dome managed to prevent the tsunami disaster, this event has caused the U.S. navy to patrol the waters adjacent to PI._

_Please read and review. I truly value your opinions._

_Next: Batsy gets irritated with Diana dating Nemesis!_


	5. Happiness?

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Ch 5: Batman gets irritated, and it's never good!_

_Thanks so much to my readers for their review and encouragement and to Jennifer Larissa for the great beta. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 5. Happiness? **

_End of summer, previous year_

"How's the pasta?"

They were at Tom's apartment in Washington, D.C., and it was her first visit there in one and a half months of dating the Nemesis. As Tom had been single for a long time before dating her, Diana had originally thought that his apartment would be of the classical type of a single guy: unkempt and only served as his temporary transit for rest, sleeping and, occasionally, eating. So, she was surprised when she learned that Nemesis' minimalist studio apartment was appropriately kept clean, with rows of books decorating the living room section, a few surrealist paintings, and photographs of himself and his family (mostly of him and his deceased brother Craig) here and there, plus two red and blue beanbags in front of the large TV. With red, white, and black as the dominant colors, Tom's studio apartment had a mezzanine (as his bed room) and a small room as his lab where he kept his equipments for disguise purposes. Other than that, the living room area joined with the dining room and the kitchen with only different wall colors to distinguish one space from another. Tom also had some small cactuses and succulents by the window, which Diana found quite amusing. Looking out of the window, she could see the Washington Monument not far from Tom's neighborhood.

But Diana was more surprised to learn that Tom was a great cook. He had invited her earlier that evening as she finished several afternoon meetings in the capital city. She had been hungry and tired: meeting with presidential staff and two foreign ambassadors had taken most of her mental strength. So, gladly she took the invitation and brought a bottle of _Blanc de noir_ for a change. She had expected that Tom would order Chinese food for dinner, or worse, pizza by the corner. But it turned out that his homemade vegetarian pesto pasta was a great treat.

"Great!" she said, pushing her plate away from her, dabbing her lips with a kitchen paper towel, and reached to drink her wine. It was really great. Almost comparable to Ferdinand's pasta, though Diana still could name a certain elder citizen in Gotham who would make better pasta than this. She winced inwardly and shut down the thought.

"Yeah? No kidding?" Tom had finished his meal earlier, and now stapled his hands in front of her, looking at Diana.

"Yes. Seriously. Where did you learn to cook?"

Tom chuckled. "A man's gotta eat, too, Princess! Especially when you're living by yourself, you get bored with take-out pretty quickly." Nemesis saw Diana purse her lips, but he didn't pay attention to a split second blank in her face. He reached for Diana's plate to do the clean up.

"Hey!" She grabbed his hand. "Don't wash my plate. I'll do that."

"Won't hear of it. You're my guest tonight, and guests don't do washing."

"No way, Tom." Diana got up to take away the plates. "You sit down and I do the cleaning. It's pretty fast when you have been blessed by Hermes' speed."

Nemesis smiled, his gaze turned calm as he conceded. "You wash, then. I dry."

So it was, they worked together in companion silence for a while. It would take only five minutes or less for Diana to clean up the entire kitchen (including the sauce pan, chopping board, and wok) at her normal speed, and much faster if she used Hermes' gift. But somehow, having Tom dry the dishes next to her and humming a certain tune slowed her down.

"Speed of Hermes, eh?" Tom smirked as they finished the washing. He put aside the kitchen towel and watched the former Princess blush and looked away. Subtly, Nemesis shook his head. _Diana... She's been living here for such a long time, but she's still nervous with this stuff…_

"Diana…" he reached for her gently. The raven-haired woman went silent, but didn't withdraw her hand. He continued and kissed her soft lips. She moaned and kissed him back. He continued ravaging her lips for a few minutes, his hands traveling up and down her spine. His head was spinning harder and he found his desire to undress her emerging to the surface when she withdrew slowly.

"I…um…" she mumbled. "Do we have any dessert?"

Nemesis wanted to say '_you_ are the dessert' but managed to contain himself. Instead, he cleared his throat and gestured to the fridge. "Hazelnut ice creams. Want some?"

"Sure!" she was quick to answer. "I'll get some for us."

Diana almost flew to the fridge, leaving Tom musing to himself. She opened the freezer and scooped the ice cream, hazelnut with Oreo chunks, into two glasses. She found cherries in the fridge, then placed two on top of the ice cream, one for her and one for Tom. Afterwards, she brought the glasses to Tom, who was now sitting on the rug in front of the TV, his back leaning on the blue beanbag, fingers picking the strings of an acoustic guitar, playing a certain melody. Diana bit her lips.

"I didn't know you could play guitar." She placed Tom's ice cream next to him.

He shrugged and shoved his chin to the corner. "You didn't see the guitar case over there?"

True, the guitar case was a particular point of interest in Tom's living area. Diana had noticed that earlier, but as she didn't know that Tom played guitar, she had thought it might have belonged to Craig, and that Tom had it for keepsake.

"Yes… but I never heard you playing guitar before." She sat at the red beanbag and started to pay attention to her ice cream. Then, she impulsively tilted her head to look at her boyfriend, and found that Tom was looking at her intently with his golden-hazel eyes.

"What?"

He smiled. "I'll play some songs for you now."

Diana leaned back and closed her eyes as she listened to Tom playing some old songs. She recognized Led Zeppelin's _Stairway to Heaven_ and the Scorpion's _Lady Starlight_. Tom's voice was light and melodious, very different to his usual careless tone when speaking in public. Then, she opened her eyes, took her cherry and ate it while watching his fingers running skillfully along the guitar grip as he played Eagle's _Hotel California_. She tilted her head to observe how Tom seemed to be totally absorbed in his guitar as he played those songs, how a few strands of his fauxhawk blond hair fell on his forehead, and how he seemed to forget that she was there next to him.

Then, just like that, the song stopped, and Tom suddenly lifted his head to look at her. She gasped to realize that she was busted studying him with such intensity.

"You liked the songs?" he asked.

"Yes. Very." She swept her hair and moved a bit closer to him. "You've been playing guitar for a long time?"

"Pretty much," he shrugged and took his cherry. "Craig taught me how when I was fourteen."

"Oh." Diana went silent. She knew that Craig was very important to Tom. When they were children, Tom had practically worshipped Craig. Craig's death more than ten years ago had turned Tom, a joyous Shakespearean actor by then, into a cold-hearted Nemesis with a constant passion to balance the scale of justice. When Tom had told her the story of Craig a few weeks ago, she had embraced himto give him back some of the comfort that he had lost since his brother's death.

But now, out of the blue and ironically, she remembered that the person who helped Nemesis bring justice to Craig's death was…the Batman. _Bruce_. In fact, there was a good reason for Diana to wince inwardly every time Nemesis called her 'Princess'. Bruce used to call her that as well. Feeling angry with herself, Diana shook her head and remained silent.

Nemesis interpreted this wrong. He shrugged again, more casually this time. "It's over, Diana. It was years ago. Craig found justice, and he's resting in peace now."

"Well…yes…I…"

"S'okay," he smiled, then handed his guitar to her. "Your turn."

Diana blinked. "What?"

"Your turn. You're an Amazon, surely you know how to play music."

"But…I never learned guitar…" she protested.

"Doesn't matter. It's easy. You'll learn quickly."

Then suddenly, as if by magic, Tom stood behind Diana. He placed the guitar on her lap, busily telling Diana how to appropriately hold a guitar.

"I can't play…" Diana still objected. Her blood simmered as she registered his cologne and the scent of cherry he just ate.

"Then you follow my hands," He fixed Diana's left hand while inhaling the fragrance of her hair. "You can sing too, I'm sure."

"What – _Baba black sheep_?"

He chuckled. "That's an easy song, actually. Or, we can start with _Edelweiss_. You know, they played it in _The Song of Music_. You know that song, don't you?"

Diana rolled her eyes. "Tom, I have a DVD player at the Embassy…"

"Good!" Tom grinned in satisfaction. "You go Julie Andrews then, while I teach you the easy C G F keys."

Then Tom fixed Diana's left fingers to form the C. Gently, he grabbed her right hand and moved it up and down as he strummed the strings, humming, "_Edelweiss_…" He moved her left fingers once more. "This is…G. Then, quickly, you go back to C. Yup, that's right. Then F, this one." He nodded in satisfaction. "So: _Edelweiss…_"

"_Edelweiss_…" Diana followed automatically.

"Good girl." Tom moved closer to her. "I know you can do it. Now we go back to C, then A minor, this one." He showed it to her. "Then E minor. Not hard, eh? Try. _Every morning_…"

"_You greet me_…"

Tom nodded and changed Diana's finger position again. "Good. Then we return back to the first C G C F tabs…_Small and white_…"

"_Clean and bright_…" Diana murmured.

"_You look happy to meet me_…"

Yet, he didn't strum the guitar this time. Instead, he rubbed his unshaved chin at Diana's face and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. He whispered to her ear,

"You looked scared to meet me, Diana…"

"I…Tom…" she faltered. Tom kissed her ear. She sighed in pleasure.

"I love you, Diana Prince. You know that…" he nibbled her ear.

She didn't say a word, only moaned and arched her back. At this, Tom put away the guitar and laid her down on the rug.

"You're not afraid of me, are you?" he rested his head on the crook of her neck. "I'll be gentle, I promise." He licked her neck; her body jolted as the result.

Slowly but sure, he unbuttoned and took off Diana's crème top and started to lick her skin.

"I love you…" he said again in his croaky voice, his tongue traveled down to Diana's cleavage. The Themysciran Ambassador was wearing a knee-length red skirt, and as he moved his hands downward, he felt a warm dampness emanating from the middle part of the skirt.

"I love you too…" she whispered and sighed in delight.

He smiled at this. Diana rarely said those words, so every time she did, he always felt his heartbeat tripled. His hand flipped over her skirt and caressed her inner thighs. As she moaned again, he made up his mind and climbed on top of her.

"Diana…" he kissed her passionately and thrust his hips to hers. She jolted. He groaned and pressed harder. She sighed and arched her back. That was when he grabbed her shoulder and maximized his pressure.

What happened next was totally unexpected. Diana opened her eyes, gasped, and hurled him away across the room. Tom's body crashed at the wall, a Salvador Dali painting fell on the floor as the result. He opened his eyes, totally taken aback.

"Whatta-!"

Diana herself had got up, fixing her skirt, her eyes wildly scanning her surroundings like a cornered feral animal.

"Diana!" Ignoring his aching bones, Nemesis was quick to get up and stride to her. "What the heck –"

"Stay away from me!" grabbing her blouse to cover her chest, she screamed on top of her lung. "Stay away!"

"What! Diana, what's wrong with you? It's me, Tom!" he still tried to reach her.

"Don't touch me!" she stepped back as if revolted at his touch. "Get out! Leave me alone!"

That was too much for Nemesis. "Whaddayamean 'get out'! It's my house, Lady, like it or not! You can't kick me out of my house! And in case you've forgotten," he inhaled before erupting again. " – you also happen to be my girlfriend! And as your boyfriend – " he poked his own chest, " – I think I have the right to get you off!"

The moment he said it, Tom wanted to slap himself for that. He knew that his appearance displayed him as a rude man, but he still didn't believe in male domination, and always despised men who wanted to force their spouses to do whatever they wanted. _But then,_ a part of him protested,_ I've been with her for more than a month. And I haven't even laid on her once, never mind anything more…_

Diana stopped screaming. She stood rigidly behind the beanbag, still breathing hard, but looked a bit calmer now. As calm as a woman who had just tossed away her boyfriend could. Then she blinked, and looked at Tom, as if surprised at his messy and angry look.

"Oh…Gaea…" she exhaled. "Tom…I…I'm sorry…"

Tom himself was also stunned by his rude comments. He ran his fingers on his tousled hair. "Sorry…sorry Diana…I…didn't mean…"

"I…didn't mean to throw you away like that…" Slowly, Diana sat on the red beanbag. "I…was just…"

"I know." Nemesis' lips turned into a thin line. "I have known that for a few weeks now…I should've given up hope…"

Diana cringed now. She hugged her own knees and buried her head between the knees.

"Oh…jeezz…Diana…" Tom closed his eyes. "Don't cry now, please…"

But Diana wasn't crying. Or at least, the cry was invisible. She remained like that for a while. Tom also slouched down and hugged his own knees, confused.

"I'm a man, Diana…" he then whispered, gazing at the patterns of his rug. "You have to understand how hard it is to be with you…" he sighed, his fingers running nervously on his hair. "Such a sexy, intelligent, nice woman like you, without being able to touch and feel her…"

She lifted her head and Tom coiled inwardly at her resolute look. "I understand Tom. And I'm sorry for that…for all the trouble…"

"Not really your fault, Diana." Tom shook his head, feeling angry at his lack of self-control.

"No…perhaps not. But –" Diana stood up and fixed her top. "I think it's time for me to go home…"

Tom didn't blink as she put on her coat and grabbed her bag. He didn't even escort her as she said goodbye and flew away through the open window.

xxx

"You were late for the Inner Council meeting this evening."

It wasn't a question. It was a matter-of-fact accusation launched by the Batman as they did their monitor duty at the Lunar Watchtower at around midnight, a few hours after her dinner. Instead of heading home to New York, Wonder Woman had opted to go to the latest incarnation of the Justice League headquarter on the Moon. She asked Martian Manhunter to beam her up, changed into her Wonder Woman attire, and still made it to the last half an hour of the weekly League meeting, despite the looks she received from some of her colleagues.

Diana only moved slightly when she answered, "I was occupied." She didn't even look at the Caped Crusader.

"In Washington, D.C., apparently."

This time, she turned to face him. "And apparently, Bruce, it's your job to know every detail of my dinner."

"Yes, when it involved you forgetting our League meeting."

"It's just mundane issues tonight. I've checked it out. Nothing would make a difference if I skip it anyway."

"That's not the point," Batman whispered low and dangerous. He took a step closer to Wonder Woman, scrutinizing her behind his opaque lenses. "You, as the League Deputy Chief of Mission, were not there in a scheduled Justice League meeting, without a proper notice of possible delayed attendance. I'd say it's not the appropriate course of action for someone in your position."

Diana lifted her chin as she stated calmly, "Superman didn't mind."

"He did. And he asked me to tell you about it."

_This…insolent man! _"He could've contacted me myself."

"Your communicator was inactive. You didn't pick your up mobile."

_Well…that was… _She clenched her jaws and hands and stepped closer to welcome his wrath. "At least nothing happened. And J'onn would have let me know telepathically of any crisis."

"That, again, is not the point!" he hissed this time. "Senior League members like you should know that they should put worldwide concerns before their personal ones."

_Why…he's so…_ "Are you saying that you object my working ethos?"

He sneered. "Exactly."

"And do you think I will give a damn?" she stepped closer.

Batman made another step as well, squint his eyes behind his cowl. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't think so."

Wonder Woman tried to think of another clever and persistent comment to launch back when her nostril caught the familiar scent of Bruce Wayne's aftershave, triggering memories long forgotten. She narrowed her eyes and whispered, "Then sue me."

Then, abruptly she spun on her heels, her hair swirling at her back in response to her movement. The hair swept lightly at Batman's face, its fragrance seeped into his systems. She didn't see it, but the Batman had to step back and tighten the wrap of his cape to cover certain…body reaction. The Caped Crusader clenched his jaws and was about to make his trademark 'blink-and-he's-gone' turn when a voice buzzed into the Monitor Womb.

"Wonder Woman?"

Diana tilted her head. "Yes, Captain Marvel?"

"A phone call for you from Earth. Channel one."

Diana frowned. "From who?"

Freddy Freeman seemed to try to remember the name. "A…Tom Tresser?"

Diana was aware of Bruce' suddenly rigid stance, yet she chose to ignore him. "Thank you, Freddy. I will take it from here."

The new Captain Marvel, previously known as Captain Marvel Jr., grinned. "Sure, Diana. Anytime."

Wonder Woman pressed the console to retrieve her phone call. She frowned as 'Channel One' was an insecure line, and that meant that anyone next to her would be able to hear the conversation. And alas, the said person was the Batman, who was glaring at her back. _I really need to talk to Freddy about secure lines after this. _

"Diana?" Tom's voice was audible before Diana could mutter the word 'hi'.

"Yes, Tom?"

"Sorry to call you to the Watchtower. I…" he gulped. "I tried your mobile, but it was inactive. I mean…of course it was inactive, you're at the Moon." He forced a chuckle. "But I didn't know that you're there, and I have no access to your League communicator… so…I was so damned worried that something might happen to you. So…I contacted Watchtower, just to know your whereabouts."

"That's okay, Tom. Is there anything…" Diana bit her lips. She didn't want to push Tom away. But it was hard to speak freely to her boyfriend when the Batman was standing very next to you, still giving his Bat-patented glare. If the Dark Knight were the Man of Steel, Diana's back would be burnt by now.

"Yes," he was quick to answer. "I know you're busy… but I…" another sigh. "I just wanted to say sorry for what happened this evening."

Her mouth made an inaudible sound of 'oh'. She went silent for a while.

"Look, Diana…" Tom's voice again, worried this time. "I know you're angry with me. But please realize that…what I did…was a very natural thing any boyfriend would do? Especially if they date a Wonder Woman. I just…"

Diana pursed her lips. She could hear the sudden ragged breathing from the Batman behind her.

"I just… want to tell you… that I can wait." Tom's voice turned definite. "I will wait, Diana. As long as it takes. I love you, and I won't leave you just because of this." Diana heard Nemesis sigh. "I mean…perhaps you would think that I would… you know…be unfaithful. But I won't." His tone dropped, full of sincerity. "I love you, Diana. I will wait for the day you're ready for that. And when it comes…when the day comes…you will make me the happiest man on Earth."

A drop of water fell to Diana's hand. Surprised, she tentatively touched her cheek to check it. Yes, she was crying silently.

"Diana?"

"Tom…" she whispered and closed her eyes. "I'm so sorry…"

"No, Diana. Don't say sorry. Say… you forgive me." Tom's voice was in haste. "Don't say you'll leave me, Di. Don't. I can't take that. I…" a heavy exhale. "As I said, I will wait. But please don't leave me, okay? Okay?"

Diana blinked back her tears. "No, of course I won't leave you."

Tom's relief sigh was audible. "Oh thank God…You don't know how worry I was, do you, Lady?"

Diana chuckled. "You didn't stop me from leaving."

"I was thinking, Diana. I was thinking…"

"Yes…I think I understand…"

Silence among them. And then,

"Look. How about you come to my place again at your earliest convenience? Then we can cook together, and I can finish teaching you _Edelweiss_. Then, afterwards, I promise I will send you home. Unharmed."

Diana chuckled again. "Promise?"

"Promise-promise."

"Deal then, Agent Nemesis."

Diana knew he was grinning down there. "Thank you, Agent Prince."

They said goodbyes and hung up. She exhaled in relief, and then remembered something. She turned and found that the Batman was still there behind her, standing rigidly with his cape fully drawn.

"Enjoy your dinner," his harsh tone was merciless as he turned to leave the Monitor Womb, his cape swirling behind him.

-TBC-

_Author's note:_

_Don't kill me, okay? The final pair is Diana and Bruce. Promise, promise. But Tom is a good man, a decent guy. He deserves a chance to be told the best I could, no? Besides, Bruce can't play guitar (he did piano well, though…I guess…). But I can make Tom, who was vaguely defined by DC, do many things I want… as long as he's still a bit edgy…_

_And I will still truly appreciate any reviews and comments here grin … _

_Next: Donna asks Diana about her past with Bruce Wayne._


	6. Girl Talk

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Diana tells Donna what happened three years ago._

_Thanks so much to my readers for their review and encouragement. Special thanks to Jennifer Larissa for the great beta and for Batmanwolverine for early sneak peek. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 6. Girl Talk**

"Nice party, Donna."

It was Friday night, a week after Diana's wedding cancellation was announced in several newspapers nationwide. Donna Troy-Grayson looked up from her champagneand found Courtney Whitmore, the Stargirl of Justice Society of America, standing next to her.

"I mean…as nice as it can be…providing the – ehrm – circumstances."

Courtney became uneasy with her own comment, and started to study the marbled floor instead. Donna smiled knowingly at the young superheroine and shrugged not unkindly.

"I understand what you mean, Courtney. Don't worry. In fact, that's the exact reason why Diana wanted to throw this little party in the first place. To make sure that everything is actually pretty normal." _As normal as it can be._

"Well, yeah…" Stargirl grinned, playing with a curl of her blonde hair. "To tell you the truth, the first time Kara told me that she came to Wonder Woman first for advice instead of to Superman, it didn't make sense to me. But now…" she glanced away to Diana, the woman in question, who was standing at the corner of the main ballroom of Themyscira House, talking to her guests. "Now, I understand why. Diana is…classy."

Donna grinned as well. "Yup, classy all right." She gestured towards Supergirl who strolled towards them in haste. "Kara seems to want a word with you."

Kara Zor-El strode to them, eyes twinkling. "Courtney!" she whispered and grabbed her friend. "You've gotta come with me now! Cassie's showing her ring!"

Courtney's baby blue eyes widened in disbelief. "Now?"

"Well, just to us two. C'mon! I have almost killed myself talking her into this, and now she agrees!"

Stargirl looked at Donna, confused. "But you guys…"

Donna waved her hand dismissively. "Cassie already showed us the ring a few days ago. It's a very beautiful ring. I'm surprised that Kon had the money for that." She chuckled at her own joke.

"Aww… Donna!" Kara pretended to slap Donna's arm. "You're so mean! I bet Conner borrowed the money from Clark anyway!" She giggled, then beckoned Courtney to follow her to the balcony, where Cassandra Sandsmark was standing idly, fidgeting nervously with a small red box.

Donna sighed at the youthful spirit displayed by the young heroines. Of course, Stargirl and Supergirl had been in many battles, and their paradigms were usually more advanced than the average young women of their age, the early 20s. But with regards to love and marriage, Courtney and Kara were just young women who got excited at wedding rings and wedding gowns, and were not aware of the complexity of a marriage, other than it being a beautiful moment where a woman gets to wear white and take the hand of her official husband home. And of course, the dynamics of a marriage, the discussions, quarrels, fights, and possible miscommunications, were beyond them.

Donna sipped her wine, thinking of Dick who was hanging out with Wally West (who had returned from Speed Force with his family last winter), Roy Harper, and Vic Stone downtown. She smiled inwardly. Despite her regular discussions and quarrels with Dick, she had a blissful marriage so far. Thank Rhea for that. She looked up to see Diana moving across the room, welcoming the newly arrival Adrianna Tomaz, the Isis of Khandaq, wife of Black Adam. Donna's enhanced hearing caught Isis' apology as she explained that she had just returned from a crisis in Khandaq that required her (and Theo Adam's) attention.

Donna studied her sister from a distance. Despite her original objections to Diana's wedding plans (that now was cancelled), she had actually hoped that Diana had truly found The One, and that her sister would be happy with Tom Tresser. It turned out that Diana cancelled the wedding one week ago, a day before the actual ceremony planned to take place. Then, after her brief walking in the park session with Bruce Wayne, Diana returned to the office, and flew away to Themyscira later in the afternoon. Her sister had stayed in Paradise Island until Monday morning, when she returned and talked to her about the idea of throwing a small ladies-night party at the Embassy.

"Some friends would love to come and wear their prepared dresses," Diana had explained while Donna chuckled as she remembered Diana's story about Lois Lane's dress. "Some would come and want to find out what really happened that triggered me to cancel the wedding." Diana leaned back on her chair, her arms interlaced behind her head. "I want to give them a brief summary that the cancellation wasn't Tom's fault. It's just…the way it is."

Donna understood Diana's high standard of justice, and her sister's need to right the wrong. Including fixing certain opinions that had emerged among the superhero community that Nemesis had done something terrible that caused Wonder Woman to cancel the wedding.

Hence, once again, she had helped her sister plan a much smaller and more intimate party, targeting only their female friends. Diana herself had invested a good amount of time into this event. She had even baked some cookies and helped calling some friends. The result was an intimate, women-only, gathering in Themyscira House, attended by around twenty female vigilantes and friends.

Conducting her role as the co-hostess, Donna got up and walked around the room. She waved to the seven-month pregnant Lois who was talking with Etta Candy, now the mother of Ulysses Michaelis Trevor, a handsome two-year-old toddler. Etta had arrived two days ago with Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Trevor and had stayed at one of the guest rooms at the Embassy. Etta waved back to Donna while Lois grinned and raised her wine glass (despite her pregnancy). Next to them, Linda Park-West was having a conversation with Rachel Keast, apparently on media-briefing matters. Donna nodded and resumed her walking, passing Artemis of Bana-Mighdall who was in a deep discussion with the two-month pregnant Helena Bertinelli-Szasz.

Next to Helena, Barbara Gordon was chatting in low voice with Selina Kyle. Donna's enhanced hearing caught the faint words of 'Talia', 'Tuscany', and '…leaving Bruce' in their conversation. The red haired Barbara leaned closer to Selina's raven hair in their attempts to continue the conversation discretely. As Donna walked by, Babs lifted her head and saw Donna.

"Donna!"

"Babs!" Donna grinned and approached the Oracle. For years, both women had been in acquaintance of each other with one major link: Richard John Grayson, the Nightwing. Donna (also Dinah Lance for that matter) had also supported Dick in his relationship with Babs (though she was very aware of Dick's past with Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran). Prior to Infinite Crisis, Dick had proposed to Babs, who had accepted with tears of happiness. However, after Dick returned to New York one year later, the couple had apparently split up. Dick had told Donna then that it had been Babs who withdrew the marriage proposal during his journey with Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake. The Sands of Time dripped on. Two years after the Crisis, Donna found herself in a deeper relationship with Dick Grayson. She still tried to talk him into returning to Babs, but Dick seemed to already come to terms with the fact that Barbara now was a part of his past. Last spring, Dick proposed to Donna, and they got married a month after a brilliant diamond-sapphire engagement ring was slipped to Donna's ring finger.

"How's life?" Donna leaned to kiss Babs on the cheek. Roughly three years ago, Barbara Gordon had regained her ability to walk. Yet, being comfortable with her role as the Oracle, Babs opted not to go down into the streets any longer. Instead, she remained as the Oracle; her regained ability to walk had helped her in a lot of cases where she needed to do detective work outside her office in Metropolis.

"Never better," Babs cast her genuine smile. "Robert is on his second chapter for his next book now."

Best-seller novelist Robert Brown met Barbara Gordon in a park in Metropolis, a month before Dick married Donna. There was an amateur robbery case, and Babs single-handedly managed to stop the robbery. Impressed with the red head's ability and confidence in fighting the thugs, Robert invited her out for a coffee. Babs had turned down the offer, saying that she needed to do another round of walking, now that she was able to walk again. That was when Robert totally went for her. He insisted on knowing her story, and when Babs gave him the very short and twisted version of her paralysis, Robert found a series of ideas for his newest novel. He gave her his first draft three months later and, after reading the whole draft in two days, Barbara Gordon dated the novelist. Now, Robert was considered a member of the superhero community's inner circle, and was often invited to parties where Babs and Dick would tease each other for their 'silly' past.

Donna returned the smile wholeheartedly. "Wow! With the same character?" Robert wrote a very Barbara-like character for his novel that won Babs' heart and also nationwide positive reviews as bestseller of the year.

Babs chuckled. "Unlikely. His current story is base in Italy, instead of here."

"But you would find similar characters in Italy anyway," Selina jumped in. The Catwoman looked at Donna and grinned. "Donna, speaking of Italy, has your sister told you about Tuscany?"

Donna flashed her dopey grin. "Not that I'm aware of, Sel…"

Selina rolled her emerald eyes. "Oh for God sake, Donna! We know what happens with the Lady Gotham." When Selina spoke of the Lady Gotham in such a tone, she usually meant Talia Al-Ghul Wayne, instead of Gotham's Statue of Justice. She leaned to whisper. "Diana has told you, hasn't she?"

Donna leaned as well. "Not yet. But that hasn't stopped me from trying."

The three of them smiled conspiratorial smiles. Then Donna stood up, cleared her throat, and resumed inspecting the room. With one sweep of glance, she found out that all guests came in their best ball gowns and seemed to be relieved that they finally got the opportunity to put on the expensive dresses, though not for Diana's supposed wedding. Babs was in her red sateen Versace, Selina displayed her emerald-colored Dolce and Gabbana dress. Lois Lane was very glad to have her gorgeous lavender Donna Karan gown covering her pregnancy. Even Raven Roth, who was listening to Koriand'r and Zatanna rattling about something, wore her best black silk dress.

Donna arrived at the long dinner table. It was an informal buffet style party; the wines and finger foods were plentiful and they were about to have the main course soon. Ferdinand the Khitotaur prepared most of the meals. But as it was a ladies-night, after all meals were ready and set up, he then politely ushered himself outside the House and beckoned Peter Garibaldi and Steve Trevor for a drink in town. The Amazon sisters, assisted by Alana Dominguez, Dr. Leslie Anderson, and Rachel Keast then functioned as the hostesses.

Donna was considering a salmon sushi when Dinah Lance-Queen, who had just recovered from her influenza, tapped her shoulder. Dinah came with Barbara and Zinda Blake, or the Lady Blackhawk, in an Aerie Two helicopter, which was now parked in peace at the Embassy garden.

"So, is this the night when she's gonna tell us what happened?" Dinah beckoned Donna.

"Very likely so," Donna picked and ate her sushi. "How's Lian?"

"In Starcity, with Ollie. Giving his grandfather a headache, as usual." Dinah grinned. Donna chuckled, too. Both women were like mothers to the twelve-year-old Lian Harper, and now they started to get worried with the little girl who already had a list of possible 'boyfriends'. Donna was about to repeat the story that Roy had desperately told her the other day when she heard a tinkling of a wine glass and a fork. She tilted her head.

"Attention please…" standing in the middle of the grand ballroom, Alana Dominguez raised her voice. "Before we serve ourselves with the main course, Diana would like to say a few words."

Diana's personal assistant stepped to give room to Diana who was clad in a simple blue long dress. Kara, Cassie, and Courtney ran back to the room. Julia Kapatelis and Helena Sandsmark stopped their archaeological discussion. Vanessa Kapatelis beckoned Karen Starr, who was talking to Gypsy. In another corner, Dr. Leslie Thompkins halted her medical conversation with Dr. Leslie Anderson.

"Thank you, Alana." Madam Ambassador fixed her gown, her hand unconsciously traveled down to her hip, touching her Lasso of Truth. She then swept her gaze at the entire room and smiled. The room slowly went silent.

"My dear friends, I…am very thankful for your presence here tonight. Some of you have traveled a long way, and I want to restate that all the rooms in Themyscira House are available for you, should you need to stay for the night. And for some of you that might need to go home with some statements…" Lois Lane and Linda Park grinned at this. Diana grinned back and resumed, "Please make sure that you write word by word what I am about to say, to avoid any miscommunication."

"Right," Lois rummaged in her handbag, retrieving a digital tape recorder. "Roll on, babe!"

Diana shook her head and chuckled. "Alright Lois, here we go." She then looked around and became serious.

"Being on the guest list, all of you must've heard about my cancelled wedding, and have asked around to find out the truth behind my cancellation. Well, as you are all very dear to me, and that the person I'm about to speak about is also very dear to me, I think I need to explain this explicitly to you."

The room went dead, waiting for the former Princess to continue.

"Tom Tresser, my once husband-to-be, is a good man. The wedding cancellation has nothing to do whatsoever with him abusing me, not that he would do that anyway." Selina arched her eyebrow. Diana smiled. "It also has nothing to do with any infidelity on his part or something of a similar nature. Or that I was being unfaithful, in that sense," Diana quickly added.

"It was just…" The Themysciran Ambassador stopped to consider her words. "The day before our wedding day, I came across a fact that I cannot tell you about due to its very personal nature. But the fact had led me to realize that…Tom Tresser, the Nemesis, the good man that he is, was not actually the one that I want to live with for the rest of my life."

Diana bit her lips this time. "Lois, Linda, I hope you get this right. Because I think it was me who destroyed our wedding. Tom didn't do anything bad. I was the one to blame, as I was too quick in accepting his marriage proposal a month ago. Without truly considering whether he was really the person I want to spend my entire life with or not."

She lifted her head. "As I already said, Nemesis is a very good man. I'm honored to know him, and, despite our cancelled wedding, I hope that we remain friends. I also hope that one day he will forgive me for hurting him, as it truly wasn't my intention."

At that moment, a buzzing bee would have been very audible in the room, for no one spoke. Lois was the first one who broke the silence.

"Uhhmmm… Do we have a Q&A session here?"

Diana turned to her and smiled. "Yes, but very very off the record. And I won't even give details on the how and when things, Lois. You cannot bribe me for that."

Though Lois sighed dramatically, her eyes twinkled. "After this then, Madam Ambassador."

Selina Kyle spoke up. "You say it, Diana, we believe you." She lifted her wine glass. "Hail to your honesty here."

"Hear, hear!" Dinah grabbed her glass. "A toast! For the ever-radiant Diana of Themyscira, our Wonder Woman. Whatever your mistake was, we don't care about it." She looked up to her raven-haired friend and smiled. "For we love you, Madam Ambassador."

Diana smiled. "I love you too, Dinah. And all of you." She raised her wine glass. "Thanks for coming and being here with me."

xxx

The party went on until almost ten at night. Then, the crowds slowly dissipated. Isis walked home to the Embassy of Khandaq at 79th Street around the Central Park. Clark Kent picked Lois back home after a few minutes of chatting with Diana. Selina and Leslie Thompkins got a lift from the Birds of Prey to Gotham City. Karen Starr offered Kate Spencer a lift back home. The rest of the guests either went home by themselves or, like the Kapatelis and the Trevors, stayed at Themyscira House.

Donna also opted to stay for the night, though she could have returned home to Greenwich Village. After escorting the last guest, Linda Park-West, to the door and having a brief chat with Wally (who picked his wife) and Dick (who came to see if Donna wanted to go home), Donna retreated to her bedroom that had been provided should she need to stay overnight at the Embassy. She took off her mauve Vera Wang gown, changed into her PJs, and went to Diana's room.

"Come in," Diana's voice was still alert, a sign that she wasn't about to sleep.

Donna popped her head and saw her sister with a crème sleeping gown, sitting in front of a large mirror, combing her long hair, her tiara laid on the counter. Donna entered the room and slouched down on the bed with a heavy sigh.

"Done, at last."

"The party?" Diana kept brushing her hair.

"Yup." She turned to face her sister, her head propped with one hand. "At least we still had a party, somehow."

Diana chuckled. "That's the idea, isn't it?"

"Yes. And now, since I've prepared yet another party, successful this time, for you, I think it's time for you to keep your promise last week."

Slowly putting down her brush, Diana sighed.

"You think you can get away?" Donna chewed her nails.

"No." Her sister got up, walked to the bed, and lay next to her. She then grabbed a bolster, hugged it like a teddy bear, and looked into Donna's eyes. "Do I still have to?"

Donna smiled sweetly. "Yes."

Diana sighed. "Okay. Where were we?"

"You told me all about why Tom was not The One. But you didn't tell me who was The One then, and don't say that you don't have someone in mind, because I know you do." Donna yawned, scratched her hair, and hugged a pillow. She rolled into a fetal position and murmured, "So, to save your time, just tell me why you didn't date Bruce Wayne in the first place."

Diana blinked. She opened her mouth to speak, but no voice came out. Eventually, she whispered, "You knew all along?"

Her sister rolled her blue eyes. "Puh-lease…Diana! Twin-sister and all things? Besides, not that the tensions between you two are not palpable anyway…Gosh! They spoke volumes!"

Diana groaned and covered her face with the bolster. When Donna grabbed the bolster out of her, she sighed again and gave up.

"Okay." She looked into Donna's baby blue eyes. "It all started three years ago."

xxx

_Summer, three years ago_

For Diana of Themyscira, Wonder Woman was a lifetime job. True, she took a year off as the result of various incidents during the infamous Infinite Crisis. However, she finally realized that Wonder Woman was herself all along, not merely her codename. Hence the previous year, she had gladly retaken the mantle of Wonder Woman from her sister Donna Troy, who had later resumed her vigilante role as 'just Donna Troy'. Both sisters, including Cassandra Sandsmark, the Wonder Girl, had revived their sisterhood once more (Diana had more homework with Cassie than with Donna), and the next winter they went together in search of Paradise Island.

The return of Paradise Island in the next spring, with all her Amazon sisters and the Olympian-Heliopolis pantheons showered Diana with happiness. Add to that, the resurging demands (even requests) from international stakeholders that Themyscira reopen their Embassy to the United Nations once more. In response to those friendly callings, Diana and her fellow Amazons decided to build a new Themyscira embassy, in New York once more.

To Diana's delight, the first person that offered assistance in the embassy rebuild was Bruce Wayne, the Batman. Of course, Bruce didn't use his alter ego when making the statements during a joint press conference between Themyscira and Wayne Enterprises. He only stated that he acknowledged the importance of a semi-utopian nation as Themyscira in building a better world, and that he and Wayne Enterprises were more than happy to help the process. In fact, Bruce's entire donation to rebuild the Embassy of Themyscira came from his personal endowment, adding some extra funds from Wayne Enterprises to the restored Wonder Woman Foundation. Bruce Wayne's personal funding covered 40 of the total budget needed to build a totally new Themyscira House. He could have easily increased the percentage into 50-50 or more, but Diana had been rather strict with that.

"You can't do that, Bruce. The 40 is already too much for you," Wonder Woman said to the Batman after one of their League meetings at the Lunar Watchtower.

"Well, it's from Bruce Wayne's personal account anyway. It doesn't matter. Wayne Enterprises would not even care about it." Batman folded his hands, looking Wonder Woman in the eye. "I'm willing to rise the percentage, Diana. It's not about money."

"I understand that, Bruce. And don't think that I'm not grateful. Themyscira can afford the whole budget actually, but I'm touched with your offer. I don't have any intention of turning it down. But…" Diana smiled. " – I also don't want you to spoil me too much."

"No, this is not about spoiling you, Diana. This is about making it right once more." Unexpectedly, Bruce touched Diana's hand. "Despite my justifications, it was because of me that Paradise Island was transported to another dimension. I almost let you and your sisters be slaughtered by the OMACs. I made you so lonely for almost two years, as you were separated from Themyscira. I also almost killed you in your attempt to return the island to Earth. I…" He exhaled. "I owe you Diana. A lot. This is one of the paybacks I need."

Diana blinked several times to fight her tears. She failed. Her tears streamed down as she whispered, "Thank you Bruce. That was touché." She smiled and wiped out her tears. "But still, you will only contribute 40. As for the rest, you'll just have to take me dinner sometimes."

The Dark Knight flashed his rare smile. "Deal then, Princess."

-xxx-

The official dinner had to wait for several months, as Diana was very busy with the rebuild of her embassy. But in those days, Bruce Wayne often visited her during the day, discussing the building's new location on Riverside Drive and all other technical things, and had lunch together. The Batman also occasionally brought some wrapped vegetarian food for Wonder Woman when she was on monitor duty, stating that it wasn't The Dinner yet. Usually, she grinned and they ate his take-away in comfortable silence, or while discussing all the League and non-League businesses.

The inauguration of Themyscira House was a milestone in Diana and Bruce's friendship. Although Superman had also shown incredible support for the Amazons and Paradise Island (including his testimony on Diana's trial), Bruce was the one who made sure of many things, starting from making sure that the nails and screws were placed in the right locations to the proper installation of security system. The only things he didn't intervene in were the wall color, where to place the Statue of Hestia, and all those decorative aspects. Alfred Pennyworth even donated nearly a hundred roses to grow in the embassy garden, something that made Diana so excited.

The friendship between Bruce and Diana continued. Diana was often invited to various charities organized by the Wayne Enterprises. In addition, despite Wonder Woman's increased activities as the (once again) Ambassador of Themyscira, and in addition to their involvement as the senior members of the Justice League, Batman occasionally asked for her help in several cases in Gotham. Though some of the cases did require the presence of a metahuman to solve the problems faster, some of them were just 'mundane' drug and robbery issues.

"You really don't need me here tonight, do you?" Wonder Woman bluntly stated after she knocked down five drug dealers while Batman incapacitated another seven of them.

"Wait until you come to a robbery scene here." Batman smirked while handling all the thugs to Detective Renee Montoya, who kept her eyebrows arched high as she registered the presence of Wonder Woman in Gotham.

"Batman, really…" Diana sighed as she flew to the night of Gotham after biding Montoya goodbye; Batman swinging next to her. "What is it do you want?"

Her patrol friend remained silent, only firing his grapple gun to another building. He swung towards the rooftop and landed smoothly. She just landed behind him when he turned and said,

"You don't want to help me here?"

A bit taken aback, Diana shook her head. "No, Bruce. I love to. It's just…well, Wonder Woman was obviously not needed there."

"So, you're too busy to help me, eh?"

She sighed. "No. I mean, yes, of course I'm a bit busy now. But you know that I would always come to your aid if needed. If needed, Bruce."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I do need you."

"Really?" Diana smirked and folded her hands. "How so? For body-count?"

He chuckled, but not answering. Instead, he went, "You hungry?"

"Well… I haven't got dinner yet, but…"

"Wait here."

The Batman disappeared into the night before Wonder Woman could stop him. Ten minutes later, he returned with wrapped falafels and two cups of cappuccino on his hands.

Diana frowned. "Don't tell me it's The Dinner you promised me."

He chuckled again as he handed her a falafel wrap and a cup of cappuccino. "No. Not even close."

"Then what?"

"You said you were hungry," Batman acted if all those things were crystal clear. "I'm hungry too. Now, let's eat."

Wonder Woman looked at him and shook her head. "Impossible man."

"You don't really mean that, do you?" he grinned and ate his falafel.

Diana shook her head again and ate hers. It was a good vegetarian falafel, so she enjoyed herself for a few minutes. After finishing her meal, she sipped her hot cappuccino.

During the brief dinner, Batman told her his recent adventures and problems with the Batwoman, Cassandra Cain, Lady Shiva, and the Cobra. Diana nodded and told him about Circe, the escaped Dr. Psycho, and Herakles who was too happy to hunt down the mad telekinetic and bring him back. Batman laughed when she described him how Herakles defeated Dr. Psycho.

"You didn't call me to help you with the drug dealers," Diana blurted out. He stopped laughing.

"Not for the dinner either, though the falafel was great," she resumed. He smirked.

"So, Bruce." She faced him, folding her hands and scrutinizing the Batman as if he was a ten year old.

"Why don't you just tell me that you invited me here because you missed me?"

The Batman wasn't surprised at that. He didn't even wince or deny her statement. Instead, through his opaque lenses, he looked her in the eye. He finally smiled.

"I knew that I didn't need to tell you the reason. You knew all along."

Wonder Woman opened her mouth to make another snappy statement, but she found none. So instead, she just blinked several times.

"Cat got your tongue, Princess?" he teased her.

"Well…I…" she tried to find something to say. "Well… it's true that we've been occupied for a while…"

"True. That could contribute to the fact that I miss you. But Diana…" With one sweep, he pushed out his cowl. Now Bruce gently moved his hand, cupping her chin, and turning her head to face him. "That's not the only reason why I miss you."

She faltered, and it showed on her face. "What then?" she whispered.

Bruce's deep blue eyes drilled into her azure eyes. "You still have to ask, Diana?"

Diana embraced herself. "I do have my assumptions…"

"Then let's see if yours confirm mine…" Bruce whispered. He leaned over and slowly brought his lips to Diana's. As he found no resistance from the Wonder Woman, he continued kissing her, cupping her head, ravishing her cherry lips greedily. His heart jolted in delight as Diana returned his kisses with equal – if not more – passion. Soon, their bodies melted into one as he pressed his body to hers in such a passion. He ran his gauntleted fingers along Diana's spines, and she shivered in delight.

The kiss lasted for more than five minutes. As they broke out, he looked at her eyes passionately. "You think you found the confirmation, Princess?"

"I think so…" her breath ragged, her lips swollen. "I think I'm in love with you…"

"You _think_?" half-amused, his eyes wrinkled.

She looked into him. "No. I was wrong. I _know_ I'm in love with you."

"Feeling's mutual, Princess…" he murmured before ravishing her lips once more.

-TBC-

_Author's note:_

_There! There! See! That's how Bats and Wondy got together… at least before they split up and Bats hooked up with Talia… Oh boy…_

_Next: Well… still Bats and Wondy story._


	7. The Knight and the Princess

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Chapter 7: still on Diana and Bruce three years ago._

_Thanks so much to my readers for their review and encouragement and to Jennifer Larissa for the great beta (She did that in the midst of her hectic wedding preparation!). This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 7. The Knight and the Princess**

_Summer, three years ago_

Not many vigilantes knew that Batman dated Wonder Woman. Some of them who had suspicions would just immediately set the notion aside. Despite their revived friendship and his attempts to be friendlier with other heroes, Batman was still a renowned loner, always working in the dark. Wonder Woman on the other hand, despite her problems during and after the Crisis, still emanated sunshine and hope to her surroundings. They didn't seem to match…

And yet, so was Teth Adam before he met Adrianna Tomaz, the Isis of Kahndaq. And now look at Teth: he was still far from being jovial, but he had shown more compassion as opposed to the coldhearted Black Adam of pre-Isis days.

"So, perhaps that's true after all," muttered Kyle Rayner. In the last few years, Kyle had undergone a lot of transformations in his life. He used to be the Mighty Ion, charged by chains of events from Hal Jordan's rampage years ago to Jade's death during the Crisis. Now Kyle wasn't the League's Green Lantern – he was currently assigned on Oa as the Lantern's Torchbearer – but he often dropped by at the Lunar Watchtower, particularly the cafeteria, whenever he visited the Earth. "Wondy dates Bats. Brrr!" He shivered comically.

"Nah! Wondy wouldn't even dream of dating Bruce," examining his bow, Green Arrow dismissed Kyle's opinion. He added an afterthought, though. "Hey, how about Donna? Did you get anything from her about her sister?"

Kyle shook his head. "Nope, she won't talk. I got a feeling that she has been left in the dark, too. And so was Dick – he doesn't know nothin'."

"Wondy wouldn't wanna date a guy like Bats, if you ask me." Ollie blurted out.

"And why's that? What's wrong with Bruce?" Cyborg popped some peanuts into his mouth. "He seems pretty okay to me. After the Crisis, at least…"

"Yeah, if you don't consider the Catwoman, Talia, Sasha Bordeaux, and whoever else he dated…" Ollie popped a can of beer open and drank it. "Say, why don't we ask the greatest reporter on Earth, eh? I mean, the husband of the greatest reporter on Earth."

Three pairs of eyes went to Superman who just entered the cafeteria for lunch. Kal-El went to the table to get his food (a fettuccini bolognaise and some Caesar salad), grabbed a bottle of orange juice, and walked to the table where the boys were chatting.

"Hi guys," he grinned, sat, and started to eat his fettuccini.

"Supes, you heard the gossip lately?" unable to wait for a better moment, Kyle jumped in.

"What gossip?" Clark rolled a fork of fettuccini on his spoon and slurped the pasta.

"Aw, man! Don't tell me you don't know!" Ollie groaned. "Bruce and Diana, Clark!"

"What about them?" The Man of Steel shifted his attention to the salad.

"Are they dating? Coz I heard that they are."

"How do you know?" Clark reached for his orange juice.

"Tabloid reports on the frequent presence of Diana in Gotham," Vic Stone chimed in. "Not only for charities, but also to attend several events at orphanages supported by Wayne Foundation. And that – " he waved his fork as if discussing a life-and-death matter. " – has been going on for a while. That should speak of something, eh?"

"Uh-huh…"

"Well…" Kyle rolled his eyes. "As a friend, you must know what's happening with them! You know, as the Trinity and stuff?"

"Not that I'm aware of…" Superman finished his meal. If he wanted, and provided that it was needed, being the Man of Steel, he could finish his meals very fast without sacrificing his internal organs. He got up and made his short speech. "If you guys want to know what's happening, best to ask Batman and Wonder Woman themselves."

"Aaww! Man! I can't do that!" Oliver Queen whined. "Diana would crack my bones. And Bats… dunno what that dude would do!"

Clark grinned. "Perhaps you could ask Dinah to help you, Ollie. By the way, I met her just now. She asked me to tell you not to forget your date tonight with her, or thy end is nigh."

With that, he got out, leaving the other heroes annoyed. The Man of Steel still grinned as he bumped into Martian Manhunter outside the cafeteria.

"Where are you going, my friend?"

"J'onn. Hi. Just want to check some systems at the training center."

The green Martian smiled. "Perhaps, it is best not to visit the training center at the moment. Might I suggest you going to the swimming pool instead?"

"Why?" Clark frowned. "Anyone training there?"

"Oh, just a training session between Batman and Wonder Woman." J'onn J'onzz kept his smile, his red eyes twinkled. "I personally think that swimming might be a better option now."

Superman's mouth formed an inaudible 'oh'. He later muttered, "Well, then... ahem… I think… I'll just head to the Arboretum then… I'll…see you around…"

-xxx-

_Autumn, three years ago_

"They're beginning to suspect us," Diana said absentmindedly.

"Who?" Walking next to her, his arm intertwined with hers, Bruce tilted his head.

They were walking in a park a few blocks from the Gotham City Cinema after they watched _Harry Potter 7_. Diana had wanted of the latest installment of the Harry Potter films, but she knew better than to ask Bruce, whose parents were slaughtered after they watched a Zorro movie, to take her to the cinema. Unexpectedly, Bruce had offered to take her to the movie. She had been very surprised and couldn't refrain from asking whether it would be alright. Bruce's reply had been a shrug and "I have you with me. I'm sure I'll be safe."

And thus, for the first time of her life, Diana went to the cinema with Bruce and thoroughly enjoyed _Harry Potter_. They took ice cream, popcorns, and cola inside and enjoyed the show they way any normal people did. She cried helplessly when Harry died, and Bruce had to tap her hand, half amused at her silliness.

"The League." Diana wiped her eyes. "Gaea. I still can't belief they killed Harry Potter!"

Bruce chuckled. "You've read the book, you know that it would end that way."

"Yes, but I still hope that they would not do that in the movie…" Diana frowned. "Bruce, what are we going to do with those guys?"

"Huh?" Bruce arched his eyebrow. "Sue them because they killed Harry?"

"No…" Diana laughed. "The League. I was talking about our friends. What are we going to do? They seem to know that we're together."

Among many small things that Bruce learned as he started dating Diana, it was her unexpected habit of jumping between trivial topics that truly amused him. Being a warrior and an ambassador of peace, Diana's thinking methods were naturally very systematic. But it turned out that she also liked speaking of random things, especially when they were talking of day-to-day 'mundane' issues. Like right now; she could talk about Harry Potter, then directly jump to the gossip at the Lunar Watchtower. Later perhaps, she would talk of gelatissimo instead.

"Well… uhm…" Bruce pretended to be serious. "Ask them to watch Harry Potter?"

Diana laughed again. "No, seriously Bruce. Do you mind? If they know about us, I mean?"

"Not really." Bruce stopped and turned to face his girlfriend. "Do you?"

She shrugged. "Not really. It's not that I want to advertise that I have a boyfriend now. But I don't mind they know."

Only after dating Diana, Bruce realized that she had been single for a very long time, more than five years or so. Her last recorded boyfriend was Trevor Barnes, who had disappeared into the Earth. With suppressed jealously, Batman had also registered the possibility of Diana dating Tom Tresser, the Nemesis, a vigilante Batman used to work with years ago in his early days as the Dark Knight. To his relief, Diana remained single. At least until he worked up the courage to kiss the former Princess that night on the rooftops of Gotham.

Bruce frowned. "Hmmm… I don't think that advertising Wonder Woman as Batman's girlfriend would bring adversities to the Dark Knight… The Joker wouldn't be able to hurt Wonder Woman, would he?"

"No, I really don't think so." Diana smiled. "So, Mr. Wayne, I'm hungry. Do you want to eat?"

Bruce took her to a nice sushi food stall at the park. They ate sushi roll while sitting at the park bench, watching the hazy stars of Gotham.

"Thanks for taking me out tonight, Bruce," Diana said after a while. "I really appreciate it."

He shrugged nonchalantly, but his eyes spoke volumes of his happiness. "I enjoyed the movie anyway."

"It's been a while since you went to the cinema, if I recall." She drank her hot green tea she bought earlier.

Bruce smiled. "Yes… it was."

"You went to the cinema a few years back though. With Selina." Diana said that a-matter-of-factly, with no trace of jealously at all.

He arched his eyebrow. "She told you, did she?"

She shrugged and grinned. "Girl talk and all that…It was a nice conversation, though."

Bruce looked at her. "Selina and I…our relationship went nowhere near romance afterwards."

She smiled solemnly. "I know that, Bruce. She told me."

He tilted his head. "Does she know? About us?"

Diana shook her head. "No. I haven't exactly made it public. I haven't even told Donna. But I'm sure she and Selina would detect it by now."

Bruce frowned. "Do I have to be jealous of your friendship with Selina, then?"

Diana chuckled. "Not to worry. She's straight, and I'm straight too, though some of my sisters are not." Living in an island of women for centuries, some Amazons indeed developed homosexual relationships, something that Diana completely understood. She sipped her tea and added. "Selina is still a loyal friend of yours, Bruce. As a matter of fact, she and Donna have gotten pretty close now. They both like shopping, you know…"

Bruce chuckled as well. "Now why is it not a wonder…" Then he reminded himself of how lucky he was to love and to be loved by Diana of Themyscira, a woman fully capable of letting go of jealously and befriended his ex instead. He looked at her, a gorgeous raven-haired goddess who was busily munching her shiitake roll, and blurted out.

"Dinner, at the Manor. Tomorrow night."

Diana looked up. "_The Dinner_?"

He smiled. "Yes. _The Dinner. _Wear your nicest dress. Alfred's cooking."

She frowned. "I'm not sure if I have a dress suitable for that."

"Then wear anything. Or don't wear anything at all." He grinned. "Just come, Diana. We never actually had dinner at the Manor before. Alfred would be pleased."

She squinted. "And you will be…?"

"Delighted." He leaned to her. "Superbly delighted that you will come." He attempted to kiss her, but she kissed him first.

-xxx-

Alfred Pennyworth put forth his best efforts to prepare The Dinner. Years ago, he had prepared a nice soufflé for Master Bruce and Miss Diana when his charge invited the former Goddess to the Manor for a Sunday dinner. The dinner had turned to be non-existence, and he had to join Wonder Woman in enjoying tepid Hors D'Oeuvres and expensive wine while the Batman went all-vigilante in Gotham City that night.

And now, with a renewed spirit, he prepared one of the most memorable dinners he ever made. Bruce had warned him that Diana didn't really enjoy ultra fancy food. She would eat anything Alfred made for him, but she actually preferred simple meals like pasta, salad, grilled pumpkin and eggplant, and nice French bread or bruschetta.

"Very well, then. Vegetarian pasta and salad, plus homemade ice cream. But – " Alfred still tried to make a bargain. "The wine is Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon 1992. I will not take out anything made after 1995."

"Deal," Bruce smiled.

"You better behave, Master Bruce. Do ask Master Tim or Master Dick to cover you for the night."

"Robin has acknowledged the change of shift. Nightwing said he would try to come. And I will behave very well, Old Man, you will be very proud of me." Bruce tucked his hands into his pocket and waltzed out of the kitchen. Yet, he suddenly stopped and turned to face his surrogate father. "In fact, I have an idea. I will iron my tux myself. That will give a better impression, yes?"

Horror emerged on Alfred's face. "By the grace of Lord, Master Bruce! If you dare to touch the iron, I will show your baby photos to Miss Diana!"

-xxx-

Bruce was truly grateful that The Dinner went on without any disturbance, i.e. no Justice League emergency calls or the Bat-signal in the sky. Alfred had prepared a nice _cordon bleu _dinner: pasta parmigiana, vegetarian tagliatelle paella, Greek salad (Alfred provided extra bacon for Bruce), and homemade vanilla ice cream with chocolate dressing and strawberries on top. Diana ate all that Alfred served for her. She even finished Bruce's paella when he was too full to eat.

"You're eating a lot!" Bruce couldn't help grinning.

"You didn't read Lois' article a few years back, did you?" Diana reached for her ice cream a proud Alfred had just placed before her just now. A few years back, Lois wrote a very good article about Wonder Woman, covering the former Princess' opinion on various issues, plus that 'she was not a shy eater. She helped finish mine when I hit full'.

"I did. But I never thought that the lunch session was based on true story." He laughed. She laughed too and picked up her strawberry. She licked and munched the strawberry in such a way that, without her realizing it, raised Bruce's desire. In fact, the very reason of Bruce not finishing his dinner was that he was mesmerized by the scene in front of him.

After dropping the option of tuxedo, he went with a pair of old blue jeans and a navy blue sweater instead. Just a casual bachelor trying to relax on his first official dinner with the woman he loved. Yet, on the contrary, Diana was radiant and gorgeous. Tonight she wore a very sexy black dress, flowing and draping nicely at her lithe body, with a low cleavage and a very low back opening. So low that actually a Thanagarian woman would be able to wear the dress without disturbing her wings. Bruce had gulped the first time he saw her entering the lobby, all her natural exotic fragrance filled the air and made him dizzy. She wore a simple but lovely silver starfish necklace adorned with a tiny but gorgeous Swarovsky crystal (discount at Tiffany's, she had said) and a pair of silver star earrings. She picked a pair of silver indestructible bracelets as opposed to her larger silver vambraces she usually donned as her costume. All in all, she was brighter than the full moon outside the Manor, and Bruce had to use all his self-control not to push her to the floor and bed her right away.

Overwhelmed by the very simple scene of Diana eating ice cream, Bruce averted his gaze and ate his instead. They talked of random things for a while. After finishing his ice cream, he cleared his throat and asked for more wine from Alfred. The mild-mannered English butler appeared with a bottle of Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon and served the red wine for Bruce.

"More wine, Miss?" Alfred did not forget Diana. The said person shook her head.

"I've had two glasses, Alfred. I'm afraid I can't take another one, or I won't be able to return to New York safely."

"Just another glass, Miss. I cannot store the wine anyway. Besides, we have plenty of rooms at the Manor should you need to stay overnight."

Diana shrugged and gave Alfred her glass to refill. She swore that she saw Alfred winked to Bruce after he poured her the wine. Bruce went inexplicably scarlet and cleared his throat several times.

"Let's go to the family room, shall we?" Before Diana could respond, he got up, and went to Diana's chair. They thanked Alfred for the very nice dinner, bade the old butler good night, and went to the family room where a large hearth was placed for comfort during cold nights. Alfred had set a mild fire in the fireplace; its golden glow gave Bruce and Diana a warm welcome in the autumn night.

They sat side by side on a large couch in front of the hearth. Diana looked relaxed. She took off her black velvet shoes, placed her legs on a table between the couch and the fireplace, sipped her wine, and lolled her head backward.

"Alfred is indeed a great cook," she sighed gratefully. "You are so lucky to have him, Bruce."

Bruce smiled as he drank his wine. "Don't I know it…"

Diana sighed again, put her wine glass, and reached for her toes, attempting to massage her foot. After a while, Bruce simply held her hand.

"Here, let me…"

Then, as Diana fixed her position and relaxed back, Bruce took her legs on his lap and started to massage her foot. She murmured some incoherent words, then started to talk of anything in her mind. They talked for about twenty minutes; Diana led the conversation while Bruce gave comments on her statements. The night went on, and inexplicably, the temperature inside the room increased. Bruce closed his eyes for a while, feeling the wine's effect start to take toll on his nerves. He opened his eyes again and saw Diana rattling about something. She seemed to experience heat as well, as crystal beads of sweat formed along her neckline and cleavage, glittering in the dim light of the firewood the way her starfish pendant sparkling. All the things in her seemed to call him, to ask him to take her as his.

"And believe it or not… I just found out that Manhattan, the very island where I stay now, actually used to be traded off with a small nutmeg-producing island in the East. In Maluku, now in the Indonesian Archipelago. The island, Run, used to be under British Empire. Then the Dutch attacked the British Army and seized the island. Eventually, the British then made a deal with the Dutch: Britain would trade off Run for an island within the Netherlands' territory in America, which was Manhattan, plus the New Amsterdam. And once the agreement was signed, puff!" Diana waved her hand animatedly. "New Amsterdam became New York, and Manhattan soon rose as one of the world's center of economy."

Trying to suppress his desires, Bruce nodded. "Yes. And while Manhattan became the center of worldwide economy and the island of sky-scrapers, Run remains a simple small island in the remotest area of Eastern Indonesia, where it takes two days to reach the island, and where tourists' main activities are diving, snorkeling, and touring the old colonial fortresses. Pretty ironic, actually."

"Yes. I bet the Dutch didn't realize how the trade-off would eventually result in more profit for the British. For a while, at least…" Diana stretched her hands and yawned. "But I bet the sunset in Run is more beautiful than Manhattan's." She put her feet back on the carpeted floor, leaned towards Bruce, shifted her position, and placed her head on his lap. "I think we should go there one day, Bruce. Two days diving wouldn't hurt us at all."

"Sounds like a plan, Princess…" he smiled, trying to dismiss the fact that he and Diana were both super-busy people who would have to strive to find a holiday without disturbance. Rhythmically, he stroked Diana's hair with his hands. Diana closed her eyes and sighed again.

"Lucky that Themyscira was unknown to Man's World that time," she murmured. "Otherwise, who knows what island we would have been traded for…"

Bruce chuckled. "I doubt that your mother would ever let any man step on Themyscira back then, Princess."

Diana smiled. "Yes… I think you're right." Then she opened her eyes. "But, actually Themyscira was traded off of several times. During the Imperiex War, my sisters sacrificed the island to block Imperiex' energy. Plus…when was that…" She frowned. "Ah, yes. During the Crisis, when the island was warped away from this dimension for safety."

Diana didn't say those things to remind Bruce of what he had done with Brother Eye and the OMACs that lead to the major event many people had dubbed 'Infinite Crisis'; she just talked of anything random. But as she looked at him, she suddenly realized how he still felt sorry for what happened during the Crisis. Bruce clenched his jaws and closed his eyes. His hand stopped stroking Diana's hair, and instead went rigid.

"I'm sorry, Diana…" he whispered after a while.

Diana blinked. She was quick to get up and cup Bruce's face. "No, Bruce. I am sorry. I didn't mean to bring back those bad memories…"

"But the memories are still here, Diana…" he opened his eyes and looked her in the eye. Diana cringed to see regrets in his deep blue eyes. "I caused the death of many Amazons…" he resumed in whisper. "I was the major factor behind your island's removal from this planet. I…"

"Shush, Bruce. Shush…" Diana placed her slender finger on his lips. "Say no more. Please. We had talked about it two years ago. Things were said and done. Regrets were said, forgiveness was given. I owe you nothing, the way you owe me nothing now." She looked deep into his eyes, into his very soul. "Nothing…"

She embraced him with such tenderness, he found his heart had melted in happiness. He rubbed his chin over her fair cheek. He nibbled her ears and smiled as she sighed in pleasure.

"No, Princess," he whispered. "I still owe you one thing."

"What?" Diana still lingered on him.

Bruce made a space between them and looked at her once more. "I owe you happiness. That is what I have to give you."

Her face was radiant when she smiled. "You already gave me more happiness than I ever thought I could get, Bruce…"

"But I want to give you more…" he leaned over, rubbing his nose with hers. "I want to give you the happiness a woman should have…"

Diana's smile slowly turned wild. "Well… you can start now…"

Bruce smiled. He licked her cherry lips and later gave her his very passionate version of French kiss. She returned the favor and made him feel like flying high. He pressed his body at her and slowly laid her on the couch. He climbed on top of her and resumed kissing her, enjoying her every moan and groan. He was about to undress her when she spoke with ragged breath.

"Bruce… what if Alfred sees?"

"He wouldn't. He knew we'll be doing this, so he had gone to bed earlier." He continued licking her cleavage, and suddenly stopped. "But, perhaps you're right. After all…" he flashed his feral grin. "I do have a very spacious bedroom upstairs."

"_Tour de chamber a coucher_?" she leered. "I was wondering where I would have the chance…"

"Right now, Princess…" he got up and, after stealing a quick kiss, took her hand. He carried her in his embrace, the way a traditional groom usually carries his bride during their wedding night, all the way to his bedroom. For his trained muscles, Diana's muscular figure wasn't a heavy burden (she actually used a bit of her levitation power to help him). But his desire made it difficult not to stop walking and lay her on the floor to make love to her right away. They finally arrived in front of his bedroom, where he slowly lowered Diana. They looked at each other, arms still intertwined at each other's neck. He found her face went scarlet.

"I love you, Bruce Wayne…" she whispered in a shaky, almost inaudible, voice.

"I love you too, Princess…" he rubbed his nose at hers once more, his voice hoarse. "Let's go inside."

-TBC-

_Author's note:_

_I found the reference on Manhattan being traded off with Run Island in 1667 on Giles Milton's book, 'Nathaniel's Nutmeg'. An interesting read, though I haven't finished the entire book (just skipped to the final chapters re: the trade off)._


	8. Raison d’etre

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Donna tells Dick the real reason why Bruce stopped dating Diana._

_Thanks so much to my readers for their review and encouragement and to DC Lady for the great beta, even during her tight schedules. I don't own DC or its characters. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 8. Raison d'etre**

Saturday mornings in New York often managed to lift the spirit of Donna Troy-Grayson. But not today. Flying low over Manhattan, she pondered what her sister had told her last night, and she couldn't help feeling sorry for Diana. She had hugged Diana, then the sisters had managed to sleep for a few hours before sunrise. They woke up around nine in the morning, and after a shower and a brief breakfast, Donna took off for Greenwich.

At Greenwich Village, she descended and landed in an alley. Greenwich was an artistic neighborhood, the reason she chose it as her home. She walked out of the mural-painted alley and walked along the suburb under the magnolia trees. She soon reached her apartment building, nodding to the doorman, and went inside.

Her neighbors knew her as Donna Troy, sister of Wonder Woman, who happened to be married to an ordinary policeman. So far, that knowledge hadn't caused any disasters; no explosions or other undue attentions to her neighborhood. Most of her neighbors were new-age artists anyway, so they considered a superheroine living among them as a normalcy.

Donna took the fancy elevator up to the last floor and soon arrived in front of her apartment. She inserted the key and opened up the door. "Hello! I'm home!"

The Red Hot Chili Peppers blaring through the room greeted her. The 10:47 a.m. morning sunrays fell on the carpeted floor of her retro apartment she shared with her husband. She locked the door, placed her keys at the console, and went searching for her husband.

"Hi, sweetheart!" Dick's dark hair popped out of the study. Donna and Dick had divided a large working room into two: one for Dick's detective lab and the other one for Donna's dark room. Donna smiled as she saw her husband. She turned down the volume of _Californication_ and walked towards Dick.

"Had a good time with your sister?" Dick said absentmindedly as his wife kissed him good morning. He hugged her and sighed. "Since you didn't want to come home with me…"

"Well…you did have more time for patrol." Donna grinned, and remained in her husband's embrace. "Anything bad happen last night?"

"Nothing I can't handle." Dick let go of Donna and went back to work. "In fact, it was quite slow for a Friday night."

"Yeah?" Donna left the room and headed for the kitchen. She placed her handbag on the island and a large plastic bag she had been carrying, next to the stove. "Got some leftover pizza and pastries for you."

"Cool!"

"Saw ads for a nice colonial house on the way here, still in the neighborhood. We should check it out sometime." She took out the food, placing them either inside the fridge or on the kitchen table.

"Yeah?" Dick replied from inside the study room. "Wanna do that later in the afternoon?"

After they were married, they'd moved to Greenwich Village. They had always wanted a house, but as the desired houses were all occupied at that time, they opted for an apartment instead.

"That'll be nice. Did you eat breakfast?"

"Yep. Cereal… boring…"

"Wanna do lunch then?" Donna studied her fridge. She still had some baby spinach and sundried tomatoes. She also found some stuffed olives, eggplants, and artichoke, plus a large wedge of pumpkin. Despite their excelling in the vigilante business, she and Dick had not been the best of cooks. However, their marriage had forced them to learn – which pleased both Alfred Pennyworth and Ferdinand. "I can make some salad."

"Sounds good." Dick suddenly appeared behind her. He grabbed her slim waist and kissed her neck. "But I was thinking of brunch instead…"

"Really?" Donna batted her eyelashes. "What's on the menu?"

"Oh, I think you get the idea, Mrs. Troy-Grayson…" Dick turned Donna to face him. When they kissed, Dick reminded himself of his grand luck of marrying Donna Troy, his friend since the old Teen Titans day.

-xxx-

After an hour or so of 'brunch', Donna and Dick found the need for shower. Dick finished first, and while Donna finished washing her long hair, he strolled into the kitchen and started to prepare lunch. He took out the box of pizza, baby spinach, pumpkin, and delicatessen. He found a box of patisseries, opened it, and popped a _pain au chocolat_ into his mouth.

He was in the middle of chopping the pumpkin when Donna approached him.

"Mmmm…I love lavender…" Dick inhaled the lavender fragrance of Donna's shampoo.

"Yeah? Well I love chocolate…" Donna leaned over and kissed Dick, who was still munching his _pain au chocolat_.

"Mmm…Mrs. Troy-Grayson…I'm afraid the salad will have to wait…"

Donna chuckled. "No way, Dick! I'm hungry!" She tossed back her semi-wet raven hair and let go of her husband. "Be quick with those pumpkins, will ya?"

Dick cast his eyes heavenwards. "Why don't you help me then, uh? I recall a certain woman telling Alfred that she could cook great lamb chops."

"And I'm still good at it. And salad, too, for that matter." Donna took a small knife and a chop board, cutting the sun dried tomatoes and olives.

"So…um…any news about Bruce and Diana?" Dick casually asked as he heated up the grill for the pumpkin cuts.

"Oh…nothing really happening…" Donna shoved a piece of green olive into her mouth and ate it hungrily. "Bruce went to see her again the other day…Thursday, I think. They had lunch at the Riverside Park. Other than that, nothing much happened."

"Yeah, you told me about the lunch." Dick cut the last pieces of the pumpkin and reached for the olive oil, drizzling it onto the grill. "So nothing new?"

"Nope." Donna ate another olive, a black one this time, then finished with the slicing. "But the Lady Detective in action did find some interesting background information about them."

"Yeah?" Dick finished coating the pan and dumped all the pumpkins onto it. He put the pan onto the hot grill. Afterwards, he took out the pizza from the box and frowned. "It's vegetarian!"

Donna rolled her eyes. "That's all that was left. All the meaty stuffs were gone by the time I packed one for you. Just be grateful that we still have left-overs."

Dick muttered something incoherently, heating the oven, then taking out bacon and mozzarella cheese from the fridge. He placed shreds of bacon and some cheese on top of the pizza. "A very healthy vegetarian pizza," he proclaimed and winked as he put the pizza inside the oven.

Donna laughed and pretended to slap Dick's shoulder. "You bad boy!"

"Nightwing." Dick smiled. "Batboy is Tim, Robin the Boy Wonder. I'm Nightwing."

Donna laughed again as she reached for the baby spinach. She was washing the vegetables when Dick spoke again.

"So, what did you find out?"

"Heh. Curious, aren't you?"

"Hey, you promised me last night that you would tell!"

Donna drained the spinach, then turned to face her husband. "This might take a while."

"We've got time." Dick shrugged. "Go on, spill."

Donna took a large glass salad bowl and placed the baby spinach in it. Then she tossed it with sundried tomatoes, olives, and artichokes. She reached for a smaller bowl to make the dressing.

"They did date for a short period."

"Hah! I thought so!"

"Then they broke up." She reached for honey and mayonnaise. "Bruce didn't want to take the risk."

Dick groaned. "Stupid old Bat!"

Donna opened the honey jar and stopped. She sighed and turned to face Dick. "This time, Dick, I'm afraid you're wrong."

Dick Grayson arched his thick eyebrow. "Huh?"

"He did what he thought was right." Donna spooned out the honey. "Not something that I agree with, but I came to understand him at the end. And so did Diana."

Dick frowned and folded his hands. "Explain."

Donna looked him in the eye. "Dick, your father is a noble man. In fact, his justification for splitting up with Diana was the reason Diana continued loving him, and I totally understand that."

Donna dropped a spoon of honey into the small bowl, contemplating its golden color.

"It turned out that Bruce loved Diana too much to take _that_ from her."

-xxx-

_Autumn, three years ago_

A faint drop of crescent moon lit Bruce's bedroom as he and Diana entered the chamber. The night breeze that swept through the half-opened window touched his skin as he led his princess across the room.

"It's so tidy…" Diana looked around the dimly lit room.

"Thanks to Alfred…"

She walked around for a while. It consisted of an extra king size bed with canopy, an armoire, TV (to watch the news), and a writing desk and chair. A bathroom was located on the far side of the room. There was nothing Bat-related in here. All his vigilante business was done in the Bat-cave downstairs.

For a while, Diana stood in the middle of the room, seemingly concentrating a strip of moonlight that settled on the plush crème rug. But Bruce could only contemplate her bare back, and wondered if she could hear the ragged breath that her beauty had caused. She suddenly moved to his side, trying to hide the fact that she was nervous.

"It's so big…"

"Well…it's extra king size…" Bruce smiled. He switched on the light on the night stand then approached her. "It's usually too big for me. But tonight…" He looked at her with such a longing. "I think tonight the bed might prove too small…"

Tentatively, Diana touched the white sheet. "It's so smooth…"

Bruce sat down next to Diana, facing her. "I know something smoother than this."

"Really?" She looked up; her nervousness was clear in her demeanor. "What?"

"Let me see…" He touched her bare shoulder slowly. "This."

"Yes?" Her breath hitched.

His fingers went to her neck. "And this…"

Her azure eyes sparkled. "True?"

"Not sure." He grinned. "I have to check." Then he pushed her gently onto the bed, running his fingers through her hair. He caressed her nape and felt his blood stir when she sighed. He continued his journey down her cleavage.

"Smooth as the finest silk," he whispered. "But…I'm not sure yet…" He flashed his predatory smile. "I really have to check…"

He climbed on top of her, his hardness pressed against her. She sighed and arched her back.

"Oh… Gaea… please do, Bruce. Please check…"

"With your permission, Princess…" he murmured as he nibbled her ear. She moaned, her hands caressing his hair. His tongue traveled down to her chin, the curve of her neck, her cleavage. He stopped there, took a moment to slide down Diana's spaghetti straps, eyeing the beautiful black bra she wore underneath. He licked the skin under the lace and felt his blood pressure increase as his princess shuddered beneath him. He intertwined his hands around her neck and continued ravishing her front regions. She groaned, moaned, and jolted as the result. Then he stopped.

"What?" Diana asked, sounding frustrated.

Bruce smiled. He touched Diana's starfish necklace. "It's beautiful, Princess. But it's in my way. May I?"

With one hand, he unclasped her necklace. As the silver pendant dropped, he continued his exploration of her body, making her sigh, moan, and arch her back in such a way that he felt he might not make it through the foreplay.

"You're moving too much, Diana…"

"You're…" she panted, "the one who are doing this… to me…" she gasped as he kneaded her hills expertly. "Oh, Hera! Bruce… don't stop…"

"Don't move too much, Princess…" he whispered as he maneuvered his tongue. "I can't hold out for long…"

"But –" she gasped again, hard and loud this time, jerking Bruce's head backwards as she held on his hair too tight. "Gaea! Oh, Bruce…Oh!" She desperately tried to speak. "I don't know how not to move…" she jolted again. "…too much!"

He blinked and stopped for a while. "This is your first time, I take it?"

She smiled, seemingly half relaxed and half annoyed at Bruce for halting his ministration. "Do I look so inexperienced to you?"

"No… it's just…" Bruce's fingers traced her skin gently. "One would have thought that Wonder Woman has…"

"No, I haven't. Not since I was born." She grinned and reached for him. "Don't stop, sweet heart. Please…"

Bruce looked at her and tentatively kissed her. "Does this mean that I have the honor to deflower you, Princess?"

She kissed him back. "Don't say you need a certificate for that, Bruce."

He chuckled. "No. I just never thought…"

"That I'm still a virgin?" she smiled. "Well, time to end the status quo, don't you think?"

"Well…yes…" He smiled back and kissed her again. He then stopped and embraced her instead. "I just never thought that… you would pick me, of all people, for that honor."

She sighed. "Bruce… what do I have to say to prove I truly love you?" She cupped his face. "You're the Knight I choose to share my life with, to be with me until I die."

He kissed her palm. "That's sweet, Princess. But we both know that I'm the one who will leave you alone in this world. And that sometimes makes me wonder…why me? Why not…"

"Don't even bring Clark into this, Bruce," she said firmly, but not unkindly. "He's our friend, and he is nowhere in the middle of this."

He smiled. "Sorry. Well, not him. But other heroes. Metahumans that won't die easily. Unlike me, who could die first, leaving you alone."

"I would pick love over eternity anytime, Bruce." She was serious.

He looked at her, struck by her resolution. "Yes, I know, Princess." He kissed her again, and this time they didn't stop until they were both out of breath.

"I love you, Bruce Wayne," she gasped. "I want only you…"

"I want no one but you, Princess," he murmured, kissing the space between her eyes. "Only you. For a long time. "

"We were so stupid, weren't we?" She traced the line of his jaw. "We should've done this years ago."

Placing his head on the crook of her neck, he nodded. "But I was afraid we would jeopardize our mission, Princess. And was afraid we couldn't make it work."

Diana cupped his face, seemed to study him. "Are you afraid now?"

He shook his head. "No. Not anymore. I have an angel here protecting me." He licked her lips. "An angel that is not afraid to be with me, even while I'm getting older each and every day, while she stays young and beautiful."

She smiled as she traced his nose. "Ah… but you're wrong. I will not stay young and beautiful forever, Bruce. I, too, will grow old."

He smiled and kissed her lips. "No, you won't." With one hand, he cupped her head, his tongue continuing his exploration on her sweet mouth. His other hand traced down her neck, in between her breasts, and down her stomach. She jolted when he traveled further down. She sighed as he nibbled her ear. He whispered again. "You won't grow old. In fact…" he smiled as she arched her body once more. "I'm afraid I might be out of business soon. Getting old and stuff."

"Don't worry, Bruce…" She slipped her hand inside his sweater, caressing his back. "I will grow old with you. Eventually, I will also be a granny, and we will be reading books instead of having sex."

He chuckled. "You're funny." He slipped his hand underneath her black dress, stroking her inner thigh. She moaned. He smiled and reached upwards. "Have you really thought of the consequences of making love with to old man?"

"Oh, but I think… you're the one who has to think…" She jerked as Bruce fingered her. "Oh, Hestia! Oh… about making love to an old woman."

"No one would ever call you 'an old woman', Diana…" he murmured, his lips traveling to her cleavage.

"Oh, but I will…grow old." Her hand traveled downward, reached for his hardened member, and stroked it gently. He groaned. "I wonder how it would feel for an old woman to make love with an old man…"

"You won't –" Bruce's tongue was on her breasts when a red alert went off inside his head. _Why does she keep telling me about this? _He looked up at Diana, her eyes darkened in ecstasy, her body writhing beneath him. He didn't think that she would be joking in such a state. "What did you say, Diana?"

Confused, Diana shook her head. "Everyone gets old, Bruce… now…" She wrapped her hands around him, pulled him downwards, "Let's get back into business."

"Not you, Diana," Bruce withdrew. "Diana, please. I need to get this straight." When she eyed him with such frustration, he softened his voice. "Honey… I just need to know what you meant by _getting old_."

Diana was quite for a while. "Every one ages, Bruce. Including me."

"Not you, Diana. You're an Amazon. You don't get old. You just stay the way you are right now." Suddenly, Bruce felt chill along his spine. "Don't you?"

Diana was quite for a while. Bruce rolled next to her, looking at her.

She finally looked back, her face seemingly resolute. "Being created by magic, if I bed a man, I would lose my immortality, and will grow old." She then shrugged helplessly. "Gods can be so weird with their inventions, sometimes."

Bruce's heart sank. "How come I didn't know this?"

She shrugged. "Why do you have to know? We never dated before. Not until now." She seemed apprehensive. "You haven't changed your mind about us, have you?"

"Yes, of course. But…" He bit his lip. "Are you saying that if I bed you now, make love to you, you will lose your immortality?"

She seemed reluctant. "Yes."

"And this applies only to you, the only Amazon created by magic?"

"No," she shook her head. "Donna is my twin sister. So, she could also lose her immortality. In fact, she has lost her immortality now, being married to Richard."

Bruce froze. "There's no way to avert that? Condom? Birth control pill?"

She blinked. "No. This is not about pregnancy, Bruce."

"Not even…" He hesitated. "…if we do it on Paradise Island?"

"Not even that." She waved her hand. "Why all these questions, Bruce? Are you saying that you don't want to make love to me, knowing that I will grow old if you do? Are you saying that you don't want me anymore!"

"You're wrong." He was quick to respond. "Not the aging part, anyway."

She seemed frustrated. "Then what!"

He sighed. "You'd lose your immortality. You'd die."

She shook her head. "I truly don't get this, Bruce. Indeed, I will lose my immortality when I make love with you. But I will age more slowly than the average human. I would still live long enough to share happiness with you."

He pursed his lips but said nothing.

Her eyes begged him with apparent dread. "Do you still want me…Bruce?"

He studied her. "I do, Diana. God knows, I do."

Her eyes seemed to beg him. "Then why the reluctance?"

He studied her for a while, then sighed. "God… Diana…" He ran his fingers through his hair. "Why does it have to be this way?"

"What way, Bruce? I don't get it." Diana was evidently losing her patience. "What way!"

Bruce looked her in the eye. "Diana, do you know what Wonder Woman means to Batman? And I mean professionally? Romance aside?"

She blinked. "Is this the time when you're going to say you don't love me anymore?"

He waved his hand. "It's not that, Diana. I love you. It's just…" He sighed again. "Look. Prior to knowing Wonder Woman, justice, fear, and vengeance were everything to the Batman. He worked based on that. Then Wonder Woman came, telling him that there were things more powerful than fear and vengeance. Those were friendship, faith, and compassion."

Bruce reached for her hands. They were cold, and she was trembling. He sighed again and resumed.

"Wonder Woman taught Batman the importance of Faith and Love. Throughout the years, even through the darkest hours, this brave warrior princess always stood by the Batman, encouraging him, supporting him with hope, giving him enough fuel to face the world with a brighter spirit. Until he realized that he could no longer live without her guidance. Until he came to terms with the fact that she was the beacon of his life, despite all the differences between them."

Diana blinked several times. "I still don't get it, Bruce…"

He sighed, stroking his hand against hers. "Diana, can you imagine if there is no more Wonder Woman in this world? Who would guide Batman, and similar souls like him? Who would teach them forgiveness and true love?"

She felt a lump in her throat. "Surely many heroes and heroines would do…"

Gravely, he shook his head. "Not the way you do, Diana. Your role in my life is irreplaceable. How do you think I'd survived mentally all this time?"

She bit her lips. "That's sweet, Bruce. But why do I feel that you're…pushing me away?"

"I'm not, Diana. Trust me. I just…" He hesitated. "I just want to tell you how important you are in my life, and in the lives of other heroes. Even to the world." He snorted. "Yeah, we might have rejected you in the past, but, we then realize that we still need you to guide us. Your role is irreplaceable."

She still looked puzzled. "What does that have to do with you and me? And our making love?" She cupped his face once more. "I love you, Bruce Wayne. Making love to you is one of the ways for me to express that love to you." She leaned closer, tried to kiss him. "I love you…"

"I love you too, Diana…" He stopped her. "But…I can't do this."

"But why?" She looked confused. "You said you wanted me. Why reject me, then?"

"Because…" He took her hand, as if trying to explain 'one plus one equals two' to a three-year-old. "…if we make love, I will take your immortality away. You will be a mere mortal, Diana. You will grow old, and eventually, you will die."

She remained silent, apparently waiting for the final blow.

"I can't take that away from you. I refuse to be responsible of your mortality. I refuse to be the one to take Wonder Woman from the world. I just…can't."

Diana was quite. Then, she slowly withdrew her hand. "But…but why…"

"The world needs you, Diana. It needs Wonder Woman." Bruce sighed, wiping his face with his hand. "I can't take you away from a world that needs you. Especially now, when they start to listen to your words, your ideas of peace."

"But, it's not like I'm going to die right away, Bruce." She still tried to argue. "I still have time. _We_ still have time." A drop of tear fell on her cheek; he knew he was breaking her heart. "Don't we still have time, Bruce?"

Slowly, he shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Diana. I can't take the responsibility for that."

She bit her lip, striving to contain her tears. "But…we're lovers. I'm a woman, you're a man. We're bound to want to make love sooner or later …aren't we?" She looked up, tears beginning to fall. She whispered. "Aren't we? Lovers?"

Bruce remained silent. He massaged his neck, looked at the ceiling, suddenly feeling very tired.

Diana tried again. "Sooner or later, Bruce, we'll lose control. We would make love. It's just as natural as that." She looked him in the eye. "Don't you think so?"

Bruce finally sighed and reached for her hand again. It was dead cold now. "The world needs Wonder Woman. I can't take you away from them. I just can't."

She stiffened. A while later, she withdrew her hand again and smoothed down her dress. "If you are determined not to make love to me, Bruce…"

"This is not a sexual issue, Diana," he corrected her. "I do want to. You know that."

"But you won't. And we can't play hide and seek, not with ourselves. This is, as you just said, not about lust. This is about my immortality that you want to preserve. And if so…" her lips trembled once more. "Then why should we continue this relationship?"

He pursed his lips and clenched his jaw.

"If you would feel guilty afterwards, then…" she stopped, unable to continue.

He finished for her. "…then maybe we should end this now. Before it's too much to bear."

Her tears flowed freely. She wanted to wipe it away, but she could not lift her hands. She wanted to scream in anger, but she couldn't even mutter a syllable. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Bruce shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Diana…"

She seemed to find her voice. "Then I suppose there's nothing I can say to convince you otherwise." Trembling, she stepped off the bed. "There's no reason for me to be here."

Bruce remained sitting on the bed, watching as Diana fixed her dress and grabbed her handbag. He lowered his gaze to an invisible spot on the bed.

"Please give my regards to Alfred, Bruce. I'm afraid it's going to be sometime before I'll taste his cooking again."

He looked up to speak, but, found himself alone. The curtain was set aside, a trail of Diana's fragrance lingering in the air. He felt a lump in his throat as he whispered,

"I love you."

-xxx-

_Manhattan, present day_

"Okay, lemme get this straight." Dick Grayson put his fork down. "Bruce and Diana broke up because he didn't want to take her virginity away?"

"Her immortality, actually." Donna fidgeted with her orange juice. "I think Bruce really wanted to take her virginity away. But it came with the package, and the price was too high for him."

"My father didn't make love with the woman of his dreams because he didn't want the world to lose Wonder Woman?" He blinked. "No freakin' kiddin'."

"Yep." Donna tossed back the rest of her juice. "You still say that he's a stupid old Bat?"

Dick drummed his fingers on the table. Finally, he went, "Yep. Stupid old Bat, alright. A very stupid, kind-hearted, lonely, old Bat."

-xxx-

_Autumn, three years ago_

Bruce woke up in the morning alone with a deep pang of regret and sadness in his heart. He rolled over, hugged another pillow, and tried to resume sleeping; pretending that what happened last night was just a nightmare. His hand touched a strange object under the pillow. He took the object out and frowned.

A beautiful silver starfish pendant with a long silver chain. Diana's necklace. In the sadness of the event, she had flown away in haste, forgetting to take her necklace with her. The crystal pendant was a vivid remembrance that the event of last evening wasn't a dream.

Bruce clenched his jaw and closed his hand. He squeezed hard, and then opened his hand once more. The starfish necklace was still there, seemingly glowing sadly at him. He sighed and rubbed the pendant to his cheek. It smelled of rose, jasmine, and lily of the valley; Diana's fragrance. He cringed and cried silently. He and Diana broke up, and he was alone. Alone.

-TBC-

_Author's note:_

_I like Tiffany. No. I __adore __Tiffany. That's why I think it's nice to have a Tiffany silver pendant as a connection between Diana and Bruce. It's touchy, IMHO._

_Reviews, please. Do you think Bruce's justification is silly? (Duh!). In character, or out of character? I wrote it based on Batman's objection on Diana marrying Mr. X in JLA#0, as he was clearly annoyed that Diana would lose her immortality then. Originally, I planned to make the immortality-lost-by-making-love concept for the whole Amazons, but I thought better off it. So, only for Diana and Donna (which didn't care about it, either)._

_Next: Talia Al-Ghul. Wonder why Bruce married her after all? Guest-starring: Selina Kyle. _


	9. Daughter of the Demon

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Ch 9: Curious how Bruce married Talia in the first place? Guest-starring: the Catwoman._

_Thanks so much to my readers for their review and encouragement and to A Little Summer Wine for the great beta. I don't own DC or its characters. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 9. Daughter of the Demon**

Sundays in Gotham were special for Bruce Wayne. He'd often start the day with a visit to the grave of his parents, and then spend the rest of the day reading, swimming, and doing whatever detective work he could down in the cave. Later in the evening, he would have an early dinner early and then patrol. Occasionally, Dick, Barbara, or Tim would come for dinner as well. It was a habit the Bat-clan had re-established after the Crisis, and one Bruce enjoyed.

But no one had visited this Sunday. It was a mere ten days after Diana cancelled her wedding. Dick had called to say he had planned a simple dinner with Diana and Donna, asking if Bruce would like to come. Bruce had refused the offer, though not unkindly. Meeting Diana for dinner when he was in flux like this was not a wise move. True, he had missed Diana since their lunch, an outing where they had done little more than eat and discuss their work and League business. But they'd both agreed it was better for them to have amicable lunches during the day instead of intimate dinners at night - certain 'physical processes' were harder to evade at night. Dick then said that he would invite Tim and Cass instead, but Bruce informed him they were attending a party at Tim's university.

Watching the sunset from the balcony of the Manor's family room, Bruce remembered how Cassandra had joined the Bat-clan. It had been a tough decision, considering what she had done before (blowing up the car of Nyssa Raatko, a renowned terrorist with disillusioned visions of her mission). Cass had gone MIA afterwards. A few months later, she reappeared to join the Titan's East. The Bat-clan had almost nothing to do with Cassandra Cain afterwards, with the exception of several unavoidable encounters with Robin.

Two springs ago, Cassandra had paid a visit to Batman and Robin and asked for another chance to join the Bat-clan. Robin had refused, Nightwing had been reluctant, and the Dark Knight had been torn between saving the girl by taking her under his wing or turning his back on her once and for all. Batman had understood that if the Bat-clan turned their backs on Cassandra, they would lose her forever.

It had taken more than a week for Bruce to fully consider Cassandra's request. Although Dick and Tim had been cautious, they'd understood the need to have Cass close at hand, where they could keep an eye on her. Barbara Gordon and Alfred Pennyworth had also tried to talk Bruce into it, but he'd yet to make up his mind. Eventually, Diana, who by that time had no longer been his girlfriend, had also weighed in on the matter.

Wonder Woman had called him to know what he had thought about Cassandra being Batgirl again. Batman guessed that it must have been Nightwing who'd tipped her the information. He and Diana conversed for more than an hour on the subject of Batgirl. The next day, Batman had made up his mind to re-accept Cassandra Cain as Batgirl. The following week, Batgirl made her first patrol after years of absence, and ever since, the trust between her and the Bat-clan had returned to normal.

"Your dinner is ready, Master Bruce."

Bruce turned from the fading sunset to see Alfred Pennyworth standing behind him. He smiled at his surrogate father. "A beautiful sunset, don't you think?"

"No one is coming to the dinner tonight, Master Bruce?"

He shook his head. "As I told you before, old man. It's just you and me."

"Ah…" Alfred's weathered face was shadowed with disappointment. "Didn't Master Dick call?"

"Yes…" His charge hesitated. "Dick invited me to have a dinner with himself, Donna, and Diana. I…I refused his offer."

A pair of grey eyebrows knitted together. "And may I ask for what reason?"

"Well, you were cooking, Alfred. I couldn't just skip away like that!"

The mild-mannered English butler waved his hand. "Nonsense, Master Bruce. You know I would not mind at all if you passed on my dinner to have a meal with… your family."

The way he said it, Alfred was definitely not only referring to Dick and Donna as Bruce's family. Bruce gave a rueful smile and walked to the kitchen.

"You know I can't do that, Alfred. It's too…" He tucked a hand in his pocket and fingered his hair with the other. "…complicated. I'm not ready."

Following him, Alfred nodded somberly. "Yes, of course, I understand, Master Bruce…"

"Anyway, we've had a couple of lunches together. I also gave Diana your cookies last Thursday. I told you that already, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did…you did…"

They arrived in the kitchen. Soon, the father and son had a companionable dinner of pumpkin soup and Caesar Salad. They talked of Miss Cassandra and Master Tim, how Alfred had given Miss Donna a pumpkin pie recipe, and several other trivial matters. Yet, neither Alfred nor Bruce talked of the obvious issue that made Bruce choose to have dinner here with Alfred instead of going to New York. Alfred Pennyworth knew that Miss Talia had not answered Master Bruce's calls and messages for the last week, and that fact had made his charge weary. Apparently, Miss Talia had demonstrated the chronic symptom most separated couples usually displayed: deterring the immediate resolution of a wrecked marriage, in whatever fashion it may be.

As Bruce finished his meal, Alfred got up to refill his glass with red wine. Bruce drank the Cabernet Sauvignon, first swirling it around his glass. He then looked at Alfred and suddenly asked, "Do you think I should go to Italy, Alfred?"

Relieved that they had finally come to the topic of the week, Alfred nodded. "Yes. It's never easy to solve this sort of thing Master Bruce, but you must. I believe that Miss Talia will listen to your justifications."

"Then why hasn't she returned my calls, Alfred? I called Alberto yesterday. He said that Talia was there, safe and sound. I knew he was telling the truth. She just simply didn't want to return my calls."

A pair of wise eyes drilled into Bruce's soul. "Then perhaps Master Bruce… it's time for you to find out for yourself. And for everyone else."

-xxx-

_Summer, two years ago_

It had been several long and difficult months for Bruce Wayne. He had broken up with Diana last autumn, reluctantly returning to the single life once more. He knew that he had to start dating another woman soon for the sake of a decoy, as a single Bruce equated to an unmasked Batman. But neither he nor Alfred Pennyworth had started another move towards approaching available ladies. Bruce couldn't care less; dating a woman other than Diana – let alone just to cover up for his secret identity – seemed an alien idea now. Alfred had been terribly poor at concealing his disappointment over the break up of the relationship between his charge and Miss Diana, and he occasionally still encouraged Bruce to invite her to the Manor for another dinner. The English butler had known that something bad had happened between the two, but he had also been certain that both of them could find a better solution if they were willing to sit down and talk.

Something that Bruce and Diana never did for a simple reason – single accidental skin brush during the battle would evoke desires they both wanted to let go. A single glance during League meetings would stir his desires to have her, and he simply realized that it should not be done. The world needed Wonder Woman, and there was no way in hell or heaven he, the Batman, would take her from the societies that required her presence and guidance.

A simple justification full of truth, all of which Diana could never find any flaws in to deny. She knew that Batman saw his mission as the first thing in his life. It was as if he demanded the same thing for her; that she put her mission above everything else. Even above her needs as a woman in love.

Bruce and Diana required more than half a year to overcome their feelings to each other. They ceased practicing together at the Watchtower. Batman was always careful not to be paired on a mission with Wonder Woman, and if he had to, he always made sure that they wrapped up the business as soon as possible. Diana overcame her memories of Bruce by channeling her energies for her missions: the Wonder Woman Foundation, Justice League, and Themyscira. Bruce's recipe was about the same: Gotham City, the Bat-clan, Justice League, and Wayne Enterprises. He added another recipe in summer a year after he broke up with Diana: Talia Al-Ghul.

-xxx-

It was a nice late summer Saturday when Bruce Wayne went to Star City two years ago to attend the wedding of Dinah Lance and Oliver Queen, the Star City Mayor. As it was the nuptials of the Black Canary and the Green Arrow, the party was full of friends from the superhero business. Of course, Bruce met Diana there, and they once again struggled to overcome their passionate reaction to one another. As the result, Diana often lingered with Donna, Selina, and Barbara while Bruce felt it necessary to join Clark's conversation with Hal Jordan and J'onn J'onzz on something that, inexplicably, he was not interested in. Diana wore an elegantly flowing ivory dress that day, and Bruce had to push away the 'what ifs' and his thoughts: the images of their last night together and the possible wedding images stemming from that night, if he had dared to take the other path.

Naturally, Bruce was relieved when the official party was over. He muttered a silly reason to return to Gotham City and left the whole bunch of superheroes and vigilantes, including Diana, in Star City. He arrived at the Manor a few minutes after three in the afternoon. Entering the lobby with a hollow feeling to his gut, he stopped dead to see a person waiting for him, someone he was not expecting.

Talia Al-Ghul, daughter of the deceased famous eco-terrorist Ra's Al-Ghul, was sitting silently in the lobby. She was as beautiful as ever; her long brown hair falling delicately down her back, her deep brown eyes sparkling with a hint of sadness.

_Sadness?_ Bruce frowned. _Wait_.

Bruce's last encounter with Talia had been in London two years ago, when Talia introduced Batman to Ibn Al-Xu'ffasch, her only son, and heir of the Al-Ghul Empire.

"Ibn Al-Xu'ffasch, Bruce. Son of the Bat, literally." She had said that last bit with a mix of pride and devastating cruelty. "Your son. You may also call him Damian Wayne."

Batman had been enraged by Talia's words. Mind control – be it with magic or drug – was something he truly despised. It had been almost impossible for him to forgive Zatanna and the old JLA for performing a mind wipe on him years ago. So, in London, when he had learned that Talia had consented to join her father's scheme – drugging the Batman senseless and making him seed Talia – he had thought that he could never forgive her. The woman who once pledged her eternal love for the Dark Knight had turned out to be a coward who had used drugs to win his heart.

Nonetheless, because of the possibility of his paternal responsibility, Bruce took Damian back to Gotham and introduced the spoilt teenager to Alfred Pennyworth and Tim Drake. But to their dismay, not only did Damian have little respect towards Alfred and Tim, the brat brought utter chaos to the household - yelling at Alfred, damaging the Bat-cave, putting on a strangely-modified Jason Todd's Robin costume, decapitating the Spook, one of Batman's enemies, and causing a serious injury on Tim Drake – Bruce's adopted son. During this time, Bruce had actually conducted several DNA tests and found out that Damian was truly his offspring. However, his nerves finally gave in and he eventually sent the boy back to his mother's care.

Bruce also had called Talia and firmly told her that he would never accept Damian again in Gotham unless the spoilt brat was willing to leave the way of the League of Assassins and learn the proper ways and manners of a human being. Talia had sneered and rejected Batman's offer. Ever since, Bruce pushed away any possible lingering trace of his feelings for Talia. Yet, out of responsibility, Bruce transferred a very large amount of an educational fund he had set up for Damian into Talia's account.

And now, Talia Al-Ghul, the woman Bruce despised so much for deceiving him, had appeared in front of him, tearful and apologetic. He clenched his jaws and faced her.

"What are you doing here, Talia?"

Her sad smile lingered. "Please, Bruce. Can you please be a little kind? I don't think I can take another cruel word from you now."

"You, Talia?" He snorted in disbelief. "You talk of someone being cruel to you? Look who's talking! From what I remember, you helped Nyssa orchestrated your father's death." Bruce's blood was simmering in rage and it found its way into his words. "Your father, Talia! As bad as he was, Ra's was still your father!"

Talia sobbed and covered her eyes with both hands. "Please, Beloved… I haven't been able to sleep for a month. I keep seeing those images in my head. Please say it no more…"

"I'm not your beloved!" Bruce slammed his hand at the table. "I'm a guy you used as a tool to create your heir because of your father's orders! I'm the guy you almost killed because I was trying to protect you and it turned out that you were just using me again!" He inhaled deeply, trying to stem the flood of emotions coursing through him. "I'm not your beloved, Talia. Get out of my house."

Talia looked up, and Bruce was stunned to see that she was indeed crying. Her tears were running errantly down her pale cheeks and now, staring so intently at her, Bruce could see that she did indeed have dark rings below her eyes. The possibility that she hadn't been sleeping well for awhile might indeed be true.

"Stop this, Talia," Bruce stated in a firm tone. "You're better than this. Stop crying and tell me what's wrong. What scheme do you have to deceive me now?"

She sighed. "I supposed I deserve all your anger, Bruce." Bruce noticed her avoidance of the word 'beloved'. "Just give me fifteen minutes to say what I need to say. Then I shall leave, and I shall never disturb you ever again."

Bruce pursed his lips, pondering her request. Finally, he nodded. "Speak up."

The fifteen minutes turned into hours of confessions. Talia told Bruce that her half-sister, Nyssa, had actually killed her several times and every time her heart beat faded away, she had dumped her body into the Lazarus Pit in order to resurrect her 'Little Sister' the way Nyssa Raatko wished her to be. The first result was a timid Talia who promised to do any of Nyssa's bidding, including terminating their father, Ra's Al-Ghul. When Talia had hesitated in Saudi Arabia, Ra's had turned the knife on her instead, letting his beloved daughter bleed to death from the stab wounds. In the end, Ra's voluntarily let Nyssa take his life.

Batman had only been witness to part of that, failing to save Talia from her half-sister's evil machinations. Weeks later, it turned out that Talia was alive after all. But this Talia wasn't the same shy Talia that had previously walked in her sister's shadow. This Talia was a ruthless Talia; still adoring her elder half-sister and in essence, an exact copy of Nyssa, a woman wouldn't blink an eye when taking a life. Batman had seen this Talia and, despising it, had walked away from the two sisters.

A short time after Batman's last encounter with Talia Al-Ghul in London, a bomb car had exploded in Northern Africa, killing Nyssa Raatko in the process. Talia was safe because she was not with her sister at that time, but when she arrived at the ground zero of the explosion, there were no remnants of her sister whatsoever. This fact then gave her a strange mixture of sadness and relief, something that she could not comprehend for many months to come. After all, Nyssa had been a dear sister to her, the sister she had never thought she had, the sister who had been always there for her. To feel a grain of relief upon her death seemed to be an eternal sin.

Yet, a month before Talia went to visit Bruce Wayne, there came an event that made her understand the inexplicable release she had felt at Nyssa's death. She had been in Mexico City at that time, involved in a ruthless war between the League of Assassins and Intergang to determine who would rule over the weapon trade to Afghanistan and Middle East. In the midst of the chaos and the fighting, Talia was shot twice, in one of her kidneys and next to her heart. She would have died straight away had Ubu, her loyal bodyguard, not given her some elixirs invented by her father, the now deceased Ra's Al-Ghul. Ubu then flew her to the closest Lazarus Pit to save her life.

The Pit indeed saved her life. But, as there was no Nyssa to tell her lies before and after she was plunged into the pit, the Lazarus Pit also restored Talia's past memories. Thus, she remembered how Nyssa had ruthlessly dumped her many times to the pit, torturing her beforehand, and all the lies Nyssa had injected as she tossed Talia into the Pit after Ra's death.

With clarity, Talia remembered how her father died, and how Bruce almost died yet again trying to protect her from Nyssa's cruelty. Talia fell down on her knees as she saw with a new perspective how she had pointed a gun at the Batman when the Dark Knight ransacked Nyssa's castle in Russia. She had wailed helplessly as she remembered her previous plan to use Damian as an instrument to kill Bruce in the confines of his own home. Worse, thanks to all these revelations, Talia couldn't sleep. Images of her father, Nyssa, Batman, and Damian kept replaying in her mind. How could she face the Batman, the man she loved the most next to her father, when she knew that he believed the worst of her?

And then it dawned on her. To end her misery, she needed to see Batman and ask for his forgiveness. Thus, she packed her things and, after confronting Ubu and Damian, she fled to Gotham.

-xxx-

The story almost sounded like a forged tale. Had Bruce not known Talia for years, he would have thought that the woman was deceiving him once more. But, deep down, he realized that Talia Al-Ghul was merely telling the truth. By the time the sun set, Bruce was gently reaching for Talia's cold hand.

"I think it's time for us to have dinner. I will ask Alfred to prepare something. Do you have anywhere to sleep tonight?"

Talia wiped her tears and shook her head. "I think I will head downtown to Gotham Plaza for a place to stay tonight. I might go to Metropolis next week, see if I have anything left there to do there."

Bruce nodded. They shared a quiet dinner and then he had driven her into Gotham City for the night. Although he had originally wanted to let her be on her own, he found himself standing in front of her room the very next evening, asking her for another dinner down town.

A month after Talia visited him at the Manor, to the skepticism of every member of the Bat-clan, Bruce invited her to stay at the Manor.

-xxx-

_Autumn, two years ago_

"Are you out of your mind, Bruce?"

Batman didn't have to turn around to identify the intruder. He simply smirked and continued his surveillance of his city from the Wayne Tower rooftop.

"Catwoman. How is Helena doing?"

"Could be better, if you didn't forget to take her to the park last Saturday as you promised."

At these words, he turned around to see Selina Kyle, known to many as the Catwoman, impatiently tapping her boots on the ground. He cleared his throat.

"I forgot. Please tell Helena I'm sorr –"

"No, Bruce. You tell her yourself!" Catwoman stepped closer, finger pointing at Batman's chest accusingly as she continued her tirade. "You haven't come to our place for almost two months now! And you know what my daughter has said about it?" She tilted her head. "_Mommy, why hasn't Uncle Bruce come? He said that he would come to take me to the park._ " Selina glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Now, what's your excuse?"

Bruce's heart sank. He loved little Helena Kyle. Every member of the Bat-clan knew that. Selina knew that. Helena knew that. He had promised to make a routine visits to see her and violating his promise to the little angel was not something he was proud of.

"I'm sorry, Selina. I was…occupied."

Catwoman snorted. "Occupied? Puh-leeeease, Bruce, I'm not an idiot! Why don't you just tell Helena that you were too busy to visit her because you had been spending too much time with the Brunette Bimbo!"

Bruce wasn't at all surprised to hear Selina speaking in such a tone. "Selina, I said I'm sorry. I'll come to your place tomorrow afternoon and take Helena to the park. Can we leave this be now?

Selina studied him for awhile, then snorted. "So, it's true, eh? You're dating Talia Head."

Bruce's silence meant an affirmative answer. Catwoman rolled her eyes heavenwards. "Are you insane, Bruce? She killed her father!"

"She didn't!" Bruce unexpectedly snapped back. "Nyssa Raatko made her do that. And Talia didn't kill Ra's anyway. It was all Nyssa's doing!"

Taken aback by Batman's harsh defense of Talia, Catwoman arched her eyebrows. She didn't speak for a while, only observing her detective friend. Then Selina's green eyes squinted behind her goggles. "What did she put in your drink, Bruce? You're usually smarter than this."

Bruce gritted his teeth. "Stop this, Selina. We're friends. I don't want to fight you."

"Who's going to fight who? We're just talking, Bruce. Just a discussion!" She then tilted her head and hissed. "Are you saying that you're willing to fight to defend her? Even against your friends?"

Batman went silent. Catwoman felt her rage erupting.

"You're saying that you chose her, that Witch of the West, over your friends?" She blinked in disbelief. "Leaving me for her? Leaving Dick? Tim? Barbara?" She exhaled then drove the final dagger home. "Leaving Diana?"

When Bruce didn't seem to be willing to talk, Selina probed again. "I heard that you haven't done dinner with the Bat-clan for a while now, Bruce. What's with you now? Where's the new Bruce that promised to give more time to his family after the Crisis?" She leaned closer, anger emanating from within her. "She took that from you, didn't she? That She-Devil. She took you from us all."

Batman clenched his jaw. "Stop right there, Selina! I warn you. No more talking like that."

Selina did stop. She stopped, then snorted in disbelief. "Listen to yourself, Bruce! You're threatening me!" She looked at her friend with dismay. "You've changed, Bruce. You're willing to give anything for her, things you're not willing to give your family and friends. You're choosing a woman who almost killed you many times."

Batman went silent once more. Catwoman sighed. She turned away and unhooked her cat-o-nine tails. "Don't bother to come to East End tomorrow. Holly will take Helena to the park."

She was about to toss her whip to the nearest swinging hook when Batman stopped her. "Catwoman, please. Wait."

Selina looked at him with a 'now what!' expression.

"I…You're my friend, Selina. All of you. I will never leave you in your hour of need."

She knew those lines. Attempting to finish the conversation, she tilted her head and arched one eyebrow. "But?"

The Dark Knight looked at her. "But I've made up my mind to spend my life with her. Selina, you're a dear friend of mine. Please try to understand."

Catwoman cast her eyes heavenwards. "Please, Bruce. Do me a favor. Never talk about her in front of me, okay? That just makes me so sick." She tossed the cat-o-nine tails, preparing to leave.

"I'm going to marry Talia next month, before the snow falls."

She turned very slowly to face him, incredulity written all over her face. She finally hissed, "You're delusional."

He pursed his lips. "The party is at the Manor. You are invited. Please come."

Catwoman studied the Batman from head to toe back and forth, then shook her head. "You really _are_ out of your mind."

With that, she swung away, leaving the Caped Crusader musing to himself.

-TBC-

_Author's note:_

_Special thanks to Batman-Wolverine for providing me the 'Death and the Maidens', of which I used a lot in this chapter. And I should say that I enjoyed writing a bit of Selina here. That single mother has become another heroine of mine now._

_Next: still on Bruce and Talia. Poor Talia. Not easy being the demon's daughter, I guess. Oh, and we have Donna and Dick again in chapter 10, and they're not cameo!_


	10. Ties and Cracks

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Ch 10: Bruce's and Talia's marriage. Diana faces Circe and Medusa. Dick and Donna are here as well!  
_

_Thanks so much to my readers for their review and encouragement and to A Little Summer Wine for her support and cool beta (even we had a 'slight' internet problem at my end…). I don't own DC or its characters. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 10. Ties and Cracks**

_Autumn, two years ago_

The wedding of Bruce Wayne and Talia Al-Ghul was conducted at the Wayne Manor on a sunny autumn Sunday, attended by Bruce's friends at the Wayne Enterprises and some vigilantes _sans_ their secret identities. Clark Kent and Lois Lane were there of course, Clark looking solemnly at his old friend, while his wife blinked several times, still unable to hide her surprise that Bruce had ended up with Talia, Daughter of the Demon. Lois was not the only one with such a feeling. Selina Kyle had to drag herself to attend the wedding ceremony after making sure that little Helena was safe with Holly Robinson. Selina had to force herself to sit tight in a line with Diana, Donna Troy, and Helena Bertinelli-Szasz. She spent the course of the day wondering how Diana could maintain such pose the whole time, and even conversing with Talia Al-Ghul Wayne with a sunny disposition after the ceremony.

The party went at a slow pace for Selina. She danced the salsa with Tim Drake and tango with Dick Grayson. She also chatted with Dinah Lance-Queen and Barbara Gordon. Yet, her eyes continually darting back several times to the bride and groom. Selina could not deny the fact that Bruce Wayne was an important person in her life. As Batman, he had inspired her to become the Catwoman, defender of less fortunate people in East End. Selina had also shared bittersweet moments with Bruce Wayne, and she even knew that once upon a time, Bruce had sincerely loved her. Eventually, they made the decision to be friends, real friends. Yet, Catwoman still had time for a race from East End to City Hall back and forth with the Batman, and she had enjoyed the friendship the way he had. When baby Helena was born, Bruce and Alfred Pennyworth had been there to drive her home safely from the hospital. Bruce had even provided Helena a trust fund for her future education, not to mention a big teddy bear the baby girl adored. For Selina Kyle, Bruce Wayne was more than a friend and a former lover; he had been her best friend. Now, she dreaded the days to come where she wouldn't be able to drop by at the Bat-cave for a chat because the young Mrs. Wayne would be not appreciate or approve of the gesture.

Finally, she beckoned at Diana, who was talking with Dinah. "Diana, shall we go?"

Diana looked up and smiled. "Sure. Whenever you're ready."

Selina rolled her eyes. "Was ready two hours ago."

They said their goodbyes to Bruce and Talia. Donna Troy opted to stay there; she and Dick were still in serious conversation.

"Leaving so soon, ladies?" Alfred Pennyworth greeted them at the lobby. He handed both Diana and Selina their coats.

"I'm afraid so, Alfred." Selina slipped into her purple suede coat. "I'm tired."

"It was a lovely party, Alfred." Diana fixed her red coat. "The meal was delicious as always."

"Why, thank you, Miss…" Alfred smiled, but Selina could not miss a glint of sadness on his eyes. "I truly appreciate your attendance."

"The pleasure is mine, Alfred." Diana leaned to kiss the butler's cheek.

In turn, Selina hugged Alfred, then she and Diana both headed for her car. Driving off the Wayne Manor grounds, she turned to Diana, who had placed her elbow on the window sill, biting her nails and looking at the evergreen trees that decorated the road down the hill.

"I'm surprised at your self control, Di."

"What?" Diana turned to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"Back there," Selina gestured up the hill. "You seemed very happy with their marriage."

Her friend shrugged. "Bruce loves her, Selina. Isn't that obvious?"

"Yeah, right…He loves her," Selina snorted. "How do we know she didn't dope him?"

Diana was aware that, just like Batman, Catwoman had been subjected to a mind wipe in the past. Although Selina had forgiven her fellow Justice Leaguers that had committed the act (including Zatanna and Black Canary), her resentment over the business of mind manipulation was still very apparent.

"We don't." Diana fixed her coat, feeling cold. She knew though, that it wasn't the autumn weather that had chilled her body. "We don't know, Selina. We just have to trust him." She looked away at the pine trees they passed. "Bruce loves her, Sel. That should be enough."

Selina's emerald eyes drilled into Diana, but received no further comment. Finally, she sighed, pushed her pedal, and sped away to East End.

-xxx-

Bruce indeed loved Talia. She had been one of the first women in his life, and she had always demonstrated genuine feeling over him, including during the many occasion when she had been forced to choose between him and her father, Ra's Al-Ghul. So, once in a life time, Bruce had truly fallen for Talia. At least, until the day he found out that she had consented to drug Batman to bed her, making her sire a child; a spoilt child that Talia had hidden away from Bruce, and raised among the ruthless fighters of League of Assassins. After the Damian case, Bruce's interest in Talia had decreased significantly, to the point of him wondering why he loved her in the first place.

Yet, as Talia returned back to Gotham and made her confessions, slowly Bruce remembered why he had fallen in love with her so many years ago. In direct contrast to her persistence (Bruce usually fell for stubborn women), she was actually very fragile emotionally. Unlike Diana of Themyscira who had many friends, or even Selina Kyle with her small circle of loyal friends, Talia Al Ghul didn't have many friends. In fact, the lonely young woman didn't have any genuine friends to call her own, and it had given Nyssa a weapon to use against her, years back when the sisters orchestrated Ra's death.

It was very trait of hidden fragility that had made Bruce return to Talia. He wanted to protect her, to make sure that her past didn't return to haunt her. He wanted to hug her every time she woke up with ragged breath from her nightmares. He wanted to be there for her, for the woman that needed him.

Of course, Talia loved Bruce in return as well. She could not forget how Bruce had forgiven her, and given her a second, or a third, or the nth chance to be a better person. Initially, she had planned to move to Metropolis. But somehow, she had always found another reason to linger in Gotham. Bruce didn't seem to object. And when they finally made love for the first time after more than fifteen years, a time that had felt like centuries, Bruce offered her to stay at the Manor. She hadn't hesitated in her acceptance.

Now, four months after her confessions to Bruce, Talia found herself pouring her husband a cup of espresso, a married couple enjoying their breakfast together. They had just returned the day before from Italy where they spent ten days honeymooning. She poured herself another cup of coffee and sat down, enjoying the winter morning at the Manor. Looking outside the window at the quite scene, she kept smiling to herself.

"What?" Bruce tilted his head, his deep blue eyes twinkling.

"Nothing."

"No, there is something." Bruce leaned towards her. "What?"

"Nothing." Talia shrugged. She swept her brown hair and studied her husband's features. "I'm just happy. So very happy."

"I'm happy too…" They kissed for awhile before Bruce pulled back and sipped his coffee. "But you're thinking of something else."

Talia smiled. "Well…yes, actually I am."

"What is it?" Bruce took the Gotham Gazette from the table and glanced at the headlines. When Talia didn't reply, he looked up and asked gently. "What is it, Talia?"

"Well…it's just…" Talia fidgeted with her coffee cup. "I think I need some activities here. Something to do."

Bruce arched his eyebrow. "You want to work?" When she nodded, he continued, "I would never forbid you to. You were the one who didn't want to do any work for a while. So, now you think you're ready?"

"I think so, Beloved. But…" Talia traced an invisible line on her blue napkin. "I don't want to do anything business-like."

Bruce frowned. "You want to do charities?"

Talia nodded. "I think it's time for me to start doing those things, don't you think?"

Slowly, Bruce put aside his coffee. "What's on your mind?"

"I was thinking of helping you with the Wayne Foundation."

Bruce inhaled. He leaned back at the chair and stapled his fingers into a triangle in front of him. "You don't have any experience with charity works." True. What Talia had done before had been either working as an economist and an executive at LexCorp, or creating more poverty and sufferings by expanding her League of Assassins. Though Talia had once channeled almost all the assets of LexCorps to the Wayne Foundation, she did not have enough experience in handling day-to-day charity works.

"I know that, Beloved. I know." Talia reached for her husband's hand. "That's why I need to do this. You're a philanthropist. I'm your wife. I should help you, Beloved. It's that simple."

Bruce looked into his wife's brown eyes. "You're serious?"

"As serious as I am about loving you."

Bruce ran his finger through his dark hair. "We have Christina Jones at the Foundation. She's the National Program Coordinator, working under Lucius's supervision."

Talia nodded in excitement. "I know her. You can put me as her second-in-command, Bruce. I'm sure I can help her."

Bruce ran his hand over his face. "In addition to Gotham, Chris is working on several ongoing programs in Nevada, Florida, and Mississipi now. I think she also started working in two South American countries, expanding our branches. You can help there."

Interested, Talia tilted her head. "So, you're expanding to international programs? How about Africa and Asia Minor? Does the Foundation have plans there?"

Bruce hesitated for a minute. When Talia demanded an answer, he inhaled and replied, "Just a plan in Uganda and two in Turkey. But the Wayne Foundation is working in collaboration with another foundation for the international programs."

"I know Africa and Asia Minor," Talia looked satisfied. "I definitely can help there. What institution does the Wayne Foundation work with?"

Bruce reluctantly answered, "The Wonder Woman Foundation."

-xxx-

_Winter, two years ago_

Bruce Wayne couldn't understand Wonder Woman's reaction to his proposal because on the outside, Diana was only too glad to help Talia start her new career as a humanist. Actually, Bruce could have directed Talia to speak with Selina Kyle instead. After all, Selina was now running her second Community Center at East End, and it had been a success, no Black Mask or other villains destroying it. Selina would be a good source for humanitarian works. However, Bruce was also very aware of Selina's reluctance to align herself with Talia. Hence he crossed out the option. That left him with one choice: the Wonder Woman Foundation and Diana herself.

Bruce drove Talia in his Lambhorgini to the Gotham Savoy Hotel the very next week, waiting inside the coffee shop until Diana showed up amidst a snow fall. The cold winter wind gusted in as the maitre d' opened the door for her. Diana gave her snow-specked red coat to the maitre d' and then walked in. Talia was in the ladies room when Bruce stood up to welcome his friend.

For a split second, the persistent 'what if' questions emerged again as Bruce watched Diana stroll to his corner. She was wearing a simple scarlet turtleneck and worn blue jeans. A beanie the same color as her top perched on her curly raven hair, adorned with snow drops.

"You still have snow in your hair," said Bruce, his version of 'hi Diana', and he lightly brushed his cheek to Diana's.

"And hello to you too, Bruce." The Themysciran Ambassador smiled and sat down, taking off her beanie. "Where's Talia?"

"In the ladies room." Bruce hoped that his wife would return soon. Sitting so close to Diana on such a cold winter day was…rather too pleasant. "She's very grateful that you are willing to help her."

"I think what she wants to do is truly something noble, Bruce. I should help her no matter what."

_No matter what, Princess?_ Bruce pursed his lips and muttered, "Thank you."

To Bruce's relief, Talia returned at that moment. Mrs. Wayne shook Wonder Woman's hand in gratitude and sat down to order some coffee. Bruce got up and excused himself, saying that he would send Alfred to pick Talia after their meeting was over.

After kissing his wife and hugging Diana, Bruce took his coat and walked to the door. Automatically, he looked back just to check, and saw Talia read a document Diana brought for her. Diana herself was studying the menu. A lock of her raven hair fell and she tucked it behind her ear. Snow drops still lingered on her raven hair, putting the fairy tale portrait of a raven haired Snow White in Bruce's mind.

Only this time, the Snow White didn't need a Prince to save her. Better perhaps that the Prince was not available anymore, even just to brush away the relentless snow drops. Bruce clenched his jaw. The maitre d' opened the door, and a sudden flow of cold breeze swept Bruce's face. Inexplicably, he thought that he had never felt this cold.

-xxx-

_Summer last year_

Throughout the year, Diana kept helping Talia with the Foundation. They didn't meet often, but now and then they went to Cameroon, Guatemala, or other places for socio-environment works. Though Talia was excited with the programs, she didn't talk a lot about Diana other than "She's a nice woman", or "She said hi to you, Beloved", or something similar. Diana's reports were usually like, "The Uganda water program went well" or "Talia seemed to think that the community-based macadamia nuts in Guatemala were a good prospect". The most revealing comment she made was, "Talia hurt her ankle in Ankara during our survey yesterday. Take care of her, Bruce."

Sometimes, Bruce wished that Talia would return to being an executive of LexCorp. He loved his wife, but the constant reminder of Diana through Talia's activities was too much to bear. Not that Diana still loved him anyway. But …

Then came an incident that changed his relationship to Diana. Summer last year, he and Talia were invited to a charity event to raise money for uterine cancer at the Gotham City Plaza. Being a female activist, Wonder Woman was naturally invited. Bruce didn't know what Talia drank before coming to the party, but his wife was already semi-drunk when they arrived at the Plaza. After the usual charity speeches (Diana delivered one of them), they danced and drank champagne. Then, out of the blue, Talia blurted out the possibility of her being pregnant, kissing Bruce in front of all the guests. Bruce had a split second to remind himself of Diana's presence there, but Talia's kisses overwhelmed him. The next thing he knew, after they finished kissing, was that Diana had gone. Bruce immediately used his Batman communicator to reach out to Wonder Woman, attempting to find out if she was okay.

She said she was, but deep down, Bruce knew that she wasn't. And he, Bruce Wayne, was once again the cause of her sadness.

Bruce knew how much Diana had been hurt that night, so he wanted to make it up to her. He called several times to invite her for lunch, but she was always busy. In addition, Wonder Woman almost immediately left any League meetings or battles once they were over, something that she had never done in the past, leaving Batman with few opportunities to speak with her. Bruce didn't know what happened, so he asked Dick and Donna (who were married already at that point) to invite Diana for dinner instead, a dinner he would also attend as Dick's family. Yet, Dick gave a vague reply that could be have been taken to mean that 'Diana might not be able to attend it as she is usually occupied nowadays.'

So, Bruce gave up and focused on his life instead. He had originally been anxious about Talia's pregnancy, but it turned out that it had just been a delayed period. It gave him an inexplicable sense of relief as he was not ready for another offspring yet. One Damian Wayne was enough already. It was true that Damian was a product of wrong education, something that Bruce wasn't responsible for. Bruce had originally wanted to have a second try with Damian, inviting the spoilt teenager to live with them, but the mother herself refused.

"Damian is fifteen now, Beloved. Do you think you can change a teenager like him into a good church boy?" She challenged him back when Bruce once again brought up the issue.

"He's our son, Talia. It's our responsibility to teach him the real meaning of humanity."

Talia looked at him. "Perhaps later, Beloved. Not now." She then buried herself in his embrace. "Now, I just want to be alone with you. Next year we'll try to take him. Not now."

So, no Damian. And no new baby either.

Three weeks after Talia got drunk at the Gotham City Plaza, the Waynes were invited to another charity, in New York this time. Bruce had checked with Alfred to make sure that Talia didn't drink anything alcoholic before flying to New York. It was almost a certainty that Diana would also attend the charity and Bruce truly didn't want to be the cause of her hurt again.

It turned out that he didn't need to worry about it because when he looked to the door as the MC declared the presence of Wonder Woman, he didn't only see Diana with her poised and elegant manners. Instead, he saw a very happy Diana lead into the room by a blond man in black, a man he immediately recognized as Tom Tresser, the Nemesis. Diana looked radiant. In fact, Bruce could not recall of the last time he saw Diana that joyful.

"Look who's got Diana now, Beloved!" Talia leaned into him. "They look like a nice match, don't you think? His blond hair matches her dark hair."

"I…yes…of course…" He tried to speak through his gritted teeth.

Talia embraced him, whispering with her sultry voice. "They've started the music. Shall we dance, Beloved?"

It was the longest dance Bruce ever felt, and he was more than relieved when Oracle buzzed in to inform him of a crisis in Gotham City. A mild crisis that did not really require his attention, now that he had Robin and Batgirl fully operating in Gotham. Nonetheless, he dispatched himself immediately, neversaying goodbye to Diana who was dancing cheek-to-cheek with the Nemesis.

-xxx-

_Last spring _

Bruce suppressed his jealousy because of his wish to see Diana happy. After all, Diana was the last Trinity that was still single. If she could find happiness with this Nemesis, why not?

Yet, try as he might, he was never able to be genuinely content with her relationship. He realized he was resentful, often displaying silly acts due to his envy. Desperately, he hoped that whatever remnants of his feelings for Wonder Woman would vanish totally, so that he could face her as a true teammate once more. That hope was never fulfilled. Instead, he was faced with another truth that spring.

Earlier in the year, Diana had to battle Circe the Witch and the resurrected Medusa once more. The Titans had their own crisis, so Wonder Girl could not offer a hand to Diana (in fact, the Titan crisis would later lead to the resurrection of Superboy, much to Cassandra's happiness). Donna Troy was busy helping the Birds of Prey and Kimiyo Hoshi, Doctor Light II, with a serial case that connected Metropolis and Tokyo. Diana herself had forbidden her other fellow Amazons to help her. None of them would be able to defeat Medusa, and Themyscira could not risk a possible lost of Archon Artemis and Chancellor General Phillipus, should they decided to help Wonder Woman. Superman, Supergirl, Power Girl? Don't even mention the Kryptonians. As they were not immune to magic, their involvement would likely be a liability instead. Besides, another crisis with Darkseid came, a crisis that thankfully returned Wally West (the Flash II) and his family to Earth.

So Wonder Woman ventured to the Underworld alone, and didn't return for a whole month. Superman was irritated. Martian Manhunter and Zatanna were anxious because they could not contact Diana in the Underworld. Wally West offered to visit the Underworld – his power might be able to bring him there – but all his friends refused because they did not want to lose him for a second time.

The entire situation left Batman beyond frustrated. He had wanted to help Diana in the first place, but the Intergang had been warring with Penguin and that had required his attention. Right after he and Black Adam had addressed Penguin and the Intergang, the latest Darkseid attack had required the whole JLA/JSA team, including Batman and his _par excellence _tactical abilities. When the entire crisis was over, he immediately contacted Nightwing.

"Bruce…" his eldest son sighed. "Please don't say that you need me to contact Donna."

"Donna Troy didn't answer my call," was his curt response.

"She's busy at the moment. Kara is talking to her as we speak. Donna already told her that Diana sealed the Underworld gate so that no one would be able to come down to help her. Donna is troubled already, Bruce. You talking to her right now will only disturb her more."

Batman couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "Diana what?!"

"Sealing. The. Underworld. Gate." Dick sighed again. "From the inside. Do I need to spell it out for you?"

The Dark Knight grunted. Then stated, "I'm going to Paradise Island. There must be a way to unlock it."

"You don't have to. Someone's already tried that and still it didn't budge."

"Who?" Bruce frowned. "Superman would've asked me to come with him."

"Not Superman." Nightwing sounded reluctant to answer.

"Who?" Batman felt his heart pounding. "Who, Dick?"

Dick Grayson hesitated for a while before replying, "Nemesis."

Bruce gritted his teeth as he disconnected the link.

-xxx-

It was a truth that Bruce had to face; that deep inside, he still cared for Diana, more than simply as a friend. He tried to deny it, but a few days later he realized the futility of this action.

It was a cool spring night when he curled down next to Talia, trying desperately to sleep. Diana had been missing in action for more than a month. Despite the fact that Nemesis had tried and failed, Batman had gone to Paradise Island that day. Yet, he still could not find any means to unlock the gate to the Underworld, let alone go down there to help her. Desperate, he went back to Gotham, had dinner with Talia; and then went for a short patrol with Robin and Batgirl. He returned home to find his wife already sleeping. He finally slept after two hours of staring at the ceiling, wondering what was happening now with Wonder Woman in the Underworld. He then made a prayer to anyone who could listen, even to Diana's deities, that Diana return safely and soon.

He didn't know how long he had slept when Talia woke him up.

"Bruce! Bruce! Wake up!"

He snapped his eyes open and found Talia glaring at him.

"Bruce, you had a nightmare," she said as she pursed her lips. Bruce didn't even notice that Talia called him 'Bruce' instead of her usual 'Beloved' moniker.

"Really?" Bruce swept his forehead, encountering cold sweat that had chilled immediately in the early morning spring breeze. He had indeed a nightmare. Then he suddenly remembered what it was: Wonder Woman battling Circe and Medusa. The witch and the gorgon almost defeated the Amazon, Diana being forced to again employ the strategy she had used to defeat Medusa years ago, blinding her eyes once more. Bruce remembered in horror how Diana had exposed her beautiful eyes to Medusa's snake venom. Diana's beautiful azure eyes had gone blank and hollow and fear had risen in Bruce, causing him to scream out loud.

Bruce exhaled. "It was Diana, Talia. She's in the Underworld now, facing Medusa and Circe. She… I saw her blinding her eyes once more."

Talia didn't move an inch. Instead, she looked into Bruce's eyes. "Yes, I know." Her voice was dry when she spoke. "You screamed her name several times, Bruce."

Bruce continued to mop his brown and shook his head at the same time. "It was terrible, Talia."

"It must have been…" Talia said bitterly. "So much so that it made you scream that you loved her, begging her to let you help. It must be a horrible thing…"

Bruce blinked. "Did I…? Talia, I…"

"I'm sleepy, Bruce. I want to go back to sleep." Talia lay down once more on the far side of the bed, her back facing Bruce. "Please dream no more. I need to sleep."

-xxx-

Talia didn't speak to Bruce the morning after, but Bruce's mind was still in those earlier hours. He just said that he was sorry for his nightmare; that he didn't mean to do that. When his wife didn't budge, he finished his breakfast and went to the Cave. He woke and interrogated Donna Troy-Grayson about another way to access the Underworld.

"Perhaps… if we speak to the Oracles of Delphi, they might know some tricks," Donna stifled her yawn. "But we have to go to Delphi, Bruce."

"Deal. I pick you up at the Embassy in 30 minutes."

He arrived at Themyscira House by the Batwing precisely twenty-three minutes after speaking to Donna. Donna was already there, in costume. But she had such a sunny composure that Bruce thought that he had the wrong woman. Yet, when Donna told him the news of the day, Bruce could not believe it either.

"Are you sure?" he whispered.

Donna nodded, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Diana just called fifteen minutes after you did, Bruce. She defeated Circe and Medusa and transferred herself to the Embassy just now from Paradise Island." Suddenly, Donna embraced Bruce, a hero who she also counted as her father-in-law. "She's okay Bruce… She's okay…"

Too glad to hear that Diana was alright, Bruce embraced Donna back. He looked up to see Nightwing walking into the Themyscira House, grinning all the way.

"Shall we go to the Praying Hall, Bats?" The Praying Hall was the main hall at the Embassy where Diana displayed all her weaponry, statues of deities, and Amazon artifacts. The Praying Hall also served as the nexus to Paradise Island.

Batman didn't even answer. Instead, he strode to the Praying Hall in excitement, his cape billowing with every stride. He arrived at the Hall to find its door opened slightly. Hearing voices within, he frowned and pushed the door ajar. It was Diana, alright. Lying helplessly on the floor, Wonder Woman looked exhausted but relieved. She was bleeding everywhere, but Batman knew that she would recover soon. He didn't know yet if Diana still had her eyes intact or not, but it didn't matter. Blind or sighted, he still cared a great deal for her and her safety was the most important thing now.

Flooded with relief, Batman walked in. Then he stopped dead to realize that there was another person already inside the room who was currently holding on Diana, expressing his relief to see her return alive.

"Don't you ever do that to me again, Diana! You scared the hell out of me!" He cradled her in such a way that made Batman clenched his jaw. "Don't ever leave me like that, babe. Ever!"

"I know, Tom… I know…" Diana was sobbing weakly in Nemesis's embrace, her blood soaking into his black turtleneck. "I'm here… I'm back…"

Footsteps behind him informed the Dark Knight that Donna and Nightwing had arrived.

"Diana!" Donna raged at her sister. "How dare you lock the Gate like that?! How dare you!" Then she sobbed helplessly in her sister's arms, anger spent.

"Told you, Di…" Tucking a lock of her hair, Nemesis smiled warmly at Diana. "You scared the hell out of us all."

"I'm not going to do that anymore. Ever." Diana hugged her sister. "Promise, promise…"

Nightwing let the reunion continue for a while before clearing his throat. "Ahem…Diana…very nice to see you return alive."

Diana looked up and noticed Nightwing and Batman standing in front of her. She flashed her sincere smile at them. "Homecoming team. Thank you very much, Nightwing." She nodded to Bruce. "Batman."

Batman pursed his lips before saying, "Wonder Woman. Were you aware of the protocol of contacting your teammates before entering the Underworld?"

Diana still smiled. "I failed to recall that, Batman."

"I'm installing it right here and now." Batman tilted his head, looking down at Diana. "Never again enter the Underworld without a proper notice. In an emergency situation, you are to venture there with the accompaniment of at least one partner."

"I will try to remember that, Batman. " Despite her smile, her tears started to well and run along her cheeks.

Batman was relieved to see that Diana's bright azure eyes were still intact. Yet, he felt a deep pang of regret of not being able to wipe her tears away from her beautiful eyes, for Nemesis was already doing that for her.

-TBC-

_Author's note:_

_Talia lovers, don't kill me. Nemesis lovers, he's back! Bruce and Diana shippers, don't kill me. At least we have Donna and Dick here, no?_

_Review please… I need constructive feedback grin …_

_Next: Uhmm… still on the foursome of Bruce-Talia-Diana-Nemesis. And someone from Talia's past is haunting her._


	11. Torn

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana/Nemesis, Bruce/Talia, Dic/Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Ch 11: Bruce was torn between Talia and Diana. A bit of Bruce and Donna bonding. Talia's past came to haunt her. _

_Thanks so much to my readers for their review and encouragement. Thanks and hugs for A Little Summer Wine for the super beta! Trust me, I know what 'hectic' means, and so glad that you still helped me with this…_

_Also special thanks to Cherry Fiona for the medical tips. I don't own DC and its characters. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 11. Torn**

After checking that Wonder Woman would be alright and that Donna and Dick would watch over her, Batman returned home to Gotham in relief. However, amidst that relief, he still felt the wrench of jealously for not being able to stay at the Embassy, after all, Nemesis was already there for Diana. The DMA agent had scooped Diana from the floor, nodded in gratitude to Donna, Nightwing, and Batman, and gone upstairs to clean and take care of Wonder Woman.

"She'll be alright, Batman," Donna said as she escorted Batman back to the Bat-wing. "I will be here all day for her."

"Good." Batman nodded as he jumped into the cockpit. "But do me a favor. Call me if there's anything wrong with Wonder Woman. We're not sure how she survived the battle yet; she's still too weak to answer my questions."

"Will do." Donna waved as the Bat-wing launched itself to the morning Manhattan sky. She then felt her waist encircled by her husband. She smiled and turned to kiss Dick Grayson.

"Thanks for being with me, Dick."

Dick shrugged. "That's what hubbies are for. Besides, Diana is my sister-in-law anyway. How can I ignore her?"

Donna remained silent, just holding on to Dick's hands intertwined in front of her.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Dick later asked.

"Hmmm?" Donna gazed at the blue Manhattan sky. "That Nemesis truly loves Diana?"

"I know that." Dick paused, then resumed his outward train of thought. "I meant that maybe Bruce's reaction was a bit too much for a teammate?"

"Superman did the same thing. They're the Trinity, you know."

"Yes. But Clark wasn't edgy. He didn't even buzz in right away when I called him." Dick looked up to the sky to see a pair of blue and red specks approaching. "Well, he's here now. Bringing Kara with him."

"Yes." Donna turned to look at her husband. "But I know what you mean, Dick. Superman's concern was a platonic one. Bruce…I don't know. I got a feeling he almost forbade Tom from taking Diana upstairs."

"You noticed that too?" Dick frowned. "Not really the reaction of a teammate, was it?"

"Don't ask me." Donna looked back to the sky and waved. "Kara! Superman! Hi! Oh, look! Cassie and Superboy are here, too!"

-xxx-

Bruce went back to the Manor to find that Talia already went to work. He took a shower, changed, and drove to the Wayne Tower. He had several meetings today, including an after lunch discussion with Lucius Fox about the Enterprise expansion into Japan. He had long ago dropped the guise of a stupid playboy in front of Lucius, and now Lucius saw him as the true leader of the Wayne Enterprise, not just a CEO who happened to be the son and heir of the deceased Thomas and Martha Wayne. Driving down the Gotham highways, Bruce remembered that it was Diana who convinced him to drop the stance, at least to Lucius.

"You don't have to say that you're the Batman, Bruce," Diana had said that during their first weeks of dating. "Just show that you're truly capable of making decisions that would benefit the people." She then shook her head and chuckled. "Sometimes I wonder how you can control the company with that dim-witted playboy image of yours."

"Lucius always knew that I was smarter than I appeared to be," Bruce smirked. "But perhaps you're right. Perhaps it's time for me to be his real partner in business."

"That's good. Though I have a feeling that he actually already deduced your secret identity along the way," Diana grinned. "The way Commissioner Gordon did."

And now, as the very person that might already know that he was the Batman would meet him in two minutes. Bruce fixed his tie and concentrated on his documents. It was hard not to think of Wonder Woman today, so he was grateful for the flux of meetings he had to attend during the day. Bruce heard the door knocked and said, "Come in."

Patricia Cornwell came ahead of Lucius Fox. Patricia was Bruce's personal assistance, a nice, spectacled brunette in her mid-30s with mild composure and smart green eyes. "Afternoon, Mr. Wayne. Mr. Fox is here, Sir."

"Don't I know it," Bruce smiled. "Thank you, Pat. How's Aimee?" Aimee was Patricia's five-year-old daughter.

"She's good, Mr. Wayne. Been a very good kindergarten student for far this year." Patricia made to leave, but then stopped to ask, "Her school is scheduled to receive an extension program from the Wonder Woman Foundation, Sir. As I heard that Wonder Woman has been missing for a month, do you think that the program should be cancelled?"

Bruce wasn't surprised that Pat asked him about Wonder Woman. The Wayne Foundation and the Wonder Woman Foundation often had several joint programs running concurrently, so the whole of the Wayne Enterprise executives already knew that he kept in continuous contact with Diana of Themyscira.

"Don't worry, Patricia. I called the Embassy this morning and they told me that Wonder Woman had returned safely from her mission. I think the program will still go as scheduled. When is that again?"

"Next Saturday." Pat smiled and closed the door. "Thank you Mr. Wayne."

Bruce was still musing to himself when Lucius called him.

"Yes?" he jolted slightly.

"You okay, Bruce?" Lucius' brown eyes scrutinized him.

"Yes, I'm fine. Of course I'm fine." He walked to the small bar. "Coffee? Gin?"

"Coffee might be better, thanks. Black, please." Lucius studied Bruce as the CEO poured him a cup of coffee from the coffee-maker machine. "I saw Talia just now, Bruce. She said that the Nevada program was running smoothly."

"Yes, I know. That's good, eh?" Bruce placed a cup in front of Lucius and sat down.

"I think you did good mentoring her, Bruce." Lucius took his coffee. "She and Christina are doing fine."

Bruce carefully sipped his coffee. "To be honest, I don't think I deserve the credit, Lucius. I think you should be thanking Wonder Woman." He placed his cup down and rubbed his palms together. "Now. About Japan…"

-xxx-

Bruce Wayne wrapped up all his pressing work at 6:20 and went downstairs to find Talia already packed up and ready to leave.

"Ready to go home?" He kissed his wife. She returned it half-heartedly.

"How's Diana?"

He studied her carefully before answering, "She's wounded. But I think she will survive."

"Wounded worse than the stabs I received before I was thrown into the pit?" As soon as she finished the sentence, Talia pursed her lips in contrition. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… I mean…"

"It's okay…" Bruce hugged her. "Shall we go home and have dinner? I think I will just have a short patrol afterwards."

Talia looked up at him and smiled. "That's sweet, Beloved." She kissed him softly.

-xxx-

Thinking back, Bruce was relieved that at least he kept the dinner part intact, undisturbed. However, as soon as they finished the dinner and he and his wife were lounging in the family room, his League communicator buzzed in. He frowned and reached for the communicator.

"Bruce, sorry to disturb your dinner," Donna's voice sounded through the sudden silence in the room.

Bruce immediately sat straight. "Not a problem. What's wrong, Donna?"

Donna sounded reluctant before answering, "It's Diana. She collapsed during dinner just now. We've transferred her to the League infirmary. Will you – ?"

"Be right there," Bruce clenched his jaw. "Batman out."

Bruce rose to his feet, ready to go down to the cave, and then he looked at Talia. She was staring uncertainly at the ground, eyes fixed on the rug lining the floor. _Oh, damn._

"I'm sorry, Talia. I just have to check this out first. I..." He sighed. "Diana is scheduled to give a talk at Aimee's kindergarten next Saturday. You know Aimee right? Patricia's daughter? I just want to check…"

Talia waved her hand. "Of course, Bruce. Of course. Just go."

Bruce pursed his lips. "Be right back."

-xxx-

Bruce knew that Talia didn't buy his 'be right back', or that his sole reason to check on Diana was to make sure that Aimee's school would get the extension program on schedule. But he also hadn't realized that he would have to stay overnight at the Watchtower to be there for Diana.

Not that he didn't want to do that, even though that he was not particularly needed. Thank God that the Martian Manhunter and Superman were on the active roster for the night, and now the Man of Steel was helping J'onn with determining Diana's preliminary assessment. Had Superman not been there with J'onn, Batman would have had to help the Martian with the medical treatment. It wasn't that he didn't want or was unable to do that. He was just not sure if he was objective enough to be able to examine Diana without any emotional attachment.

"Talia okay?" Donna tilted her head. All through the testing, Donna Troy-Grayson had been standing next to Batman, gazing through the window glass that separated them from the examination room where J'onn and Superman were scrutinizing Diana's internal systems with a CT scanner.

Bruce nodded vaguely. He had just finished a short conversation with Talia, saying that he might have to stay overnight at the Watchtower. At first, Talia had tried to remind him of his duties to Gotham. When Bruce replied that he had Nightwing backing up Robin and Batgirl, his wife's respond was just a mere 'Fine!' as she disconnected the line.

Batman gestured to Wonder Woman who was lying unconsciously. "How did she end up like this? I thought that she would be able to heal quickly."

"She would, if it wasn't a wound caused by magic." Donna sighed. "And of course, I don't need to explain that Circe and Medusa are magical by nature."

Bruce grunted. "Did she tell you how it went? The battle?"

Not that he really needed to know that. Diana was wounded, but she arrived home safely. Tracing back the events that had led to her wounds didn't really matter, but Bruce needed to talk about something, anything to keep his sanity intact.

Donna shook her head. "Dick and I don't know. Diana slept the whole day. We stayed with her until the afternoon, then Dick had to go to work for the NYPD. Then it was only myself and Nemesis taking care of Diana. Plus the Embassy staff, of course."

"Then?" Bruce clenched his jaws. He never liked it whenever Nemesis' name was mentioned in correlation with Diana.

"Diana woke up just before sunset." Donna continued her explanation. "By that time, Tom had to leave because of a crisis with the JSA. Later, Cassie and Kon-El returned for dinner and we ate together. Including Diana."

"What did she eat?"

Donna rolled her eyes. "Batman, please! No one poisoned her."

"Any information would be good," Batman was persistent. "What did she eat?"

Donna sighed. "Bread. Plus pumpkin and asparagus soup. Ferdinand made both the bread and the soup for her, and I don't think he wanted to poison his friend."

"Nor do I think that." Batman returned his attention to Martian Manhunter, Superman, and Wonder Woman. "So, basically it was a delayed internal injury."

"Kind of." Donna tucked her hair. "J'onn told me a medical term for that, but I can't remember it."

"Reactionary hemorrhage. Delayed internal bleeding."

"Yeah, that." She looked at her sister inside the examination room. "But she had stopped bleeding this morning."

"Doesn't matter." Batman pursed his lips. "A reactionary hemorrhage can occur within twenty-four hours after the injury."

Diana's twin sister blinked. "Is it serious?"

"In her case, the bleeding might cause blood clots that could clog her internal systems. So, yes, it could be serious."

Donna glanced at the Dark Knight, amazed at his ability to be so distant while describing Diana's illness. She was about to ask something else when Batman suddenly pressed the intercom button that connected them with the examining room.

"J'onn, status?"

From behind the glass, Donna could see Martian Manhunter alternately looking at an angiograph and an echocardiograph. "Diana is experiencing hypotension," the Martian voice buzzed through the intercom. "Her pulmonary arteries are obstructed. I'm afraid we have pulmonary emboli."

Confused, Donna looked at Batman who suddenly clenched his jaws.

"That's why she fainted," the Dark Knight whispered. For Donna's benefit, he added, "A pulmonary emboli is a blood clot stuck inside the lungs, causing respiratory problems, chest pain, and low blood pressure."

"Affirmative," said J'onn gravely. "Plus some continuous internal bleeding in the midsection."

"Suggestions?"

Martian Manhunter exchanged look with Superman who then said, "_Pulmonary thrombectomy_ and abdominal surgery to tie up the loose vessels."

Batman gritted his teeth. "Do it."

-xxx-

Batman and Donna had been standing in front of the surgery room window for an hour, watching Superman and Martian Manhunter in white surgical clothes conducting a pulmonary thrombectomy on Wonder Woman when the octagonal door that separated the infirmary wing and other sectors in the Watchtower rotated open. Nemesis literally sped along the corridor to Diana's window.

"Donna! How is she?! Let me in!"

Donna stopped him gently. "Tom, you can't go in. J'onn is conducting surgery on her."

"But she was fine when I left her." Tom turned to Donna, worry all around his demeanor, his fauxhawk hair tousled. "What happened?"

"Reactionary hemorrhage, pulmonary embolus," Donna expertly informed Nemesis. "They're conducting surgical treatment on her now."

"Operating on her lung?" Tom literally put his nose on the window. "Will she be alright?"

"She will if you don't break that window because of your anxiety," stated Donna before dragging Tom to sit down at one of the chairs along the corridor. "Here, sit. Do you want some coffee?"

Nemesis shook his head and buried his face on his hands. "I'm sorry I couldn't be here earlier, Donna. The JSA crisis required both me and Sarge Steel."

"I know that, I know…" Donna hugged Tom empathetically. "Look. Let me get some coffee and we'll talk about it later, okay?" Donna got up and walked out of the medical wing. "I'll go to the cafeteria for fresh coffee. For you too, Batman."

Batman nodded his gratitude and continued observing Martian Manhunter and Superman. The Caped Crusader was not a doctor, but he was a paramedic expert. With a special camera linked to J'onn's angioscopes, Batman was able to make a full examination of Diana's pulmonary vasculatures while his friends were operating Wonder Woman. So far, J'onn and Clark had been conducting CPB (cardiopulmonary by-pass) and were about to locate the blood clots that clogged Diana's pulmonary arteries. Later, they would inject a high-pressure saline solution into a catheter. The solution would create a rush of low pressure in the vein and help in removing the clot.

Despite the gravity of a pulmonary thrombectomy, Batman knew that the Martian Manhunter and Superman had poured all efforts and technologies into saving Wonder Woman. Removing the clots presented another complication due to the miniscule size of the thrombi. If the dissection is too deep, the vessel might rupture. If the cut was not deep enough, the blood flow would not be restored properly. This was where Superman's fine-focused heat vision helped the process. Bruce knew that Clark and J'onn would not let Diana die in their hands, and logically he had nothing to worry about. Except that the one they dissected was the woman who often appeared on his dreams, especially as of late.

"Batman?"

The Dark Knight turned to Nemesis, who was supporting his elbows on his knees and looking back at him.

"Do you think she'll be alright?"

Bruce clenched his jaw. "Technically speaking, they are doing the correct procedures now."

"So, she'll be okay?"

Batman nodded. Nemesis sighed in relief.

"Sorry," he smiled weakly. "It's not that I don't trust Donna. But she's not a doctor, has no medical expertise. Unlike you." He leaned back to his chair. "Besides, she's Diana's sister. Of course she wants to believe that Diana will be okay. You on the other hand…" Still lolling his head, Nemesis glanced back at the Batman. "You're her friend, teammate. You have more objectivity in this case."

_Objectivity? Right…_ Instead, Batman nodded again. "She's strong. She'll be fine." God knew he spoke that to himself as well as to Nemesis. One of the famous victims of pulmonary embolism was William II, the last Kaiser of German. Batman didn't want to ponder the possibility of the last Princess of Themyscira to be another mortal victim.

"Thanks." Nemesis smiled and observed the Dark Knight. "It's been a while since we had some adventures together, eh? How's life been going?"

They chatted for a while. Nemesis didn't seem to object to Batman's curt replies; he was obviously buying some time not to have to think of his ill girlfriend. Talking with Batman, a hero he had worked with several times in the past, was a good distraction for Nemesis.

Yet, Batman was annoyed to have to speak to Nemesis. He didn't know if Tom Tresser had bedded Diana or not. If yes, then it was possible that Diana had lost her immortality now, and a prompt recovery might be impossible for her. Thus, Batman half blamed Tom for making Diana miserable, though another part of him also blamed himself for not making sure earlier that she had been in a good condition when he had left her this morning.

Much to Batman's relief, Donna soon returned with three cups of espresso. Afterwards, Donna chatted with Nemesis, and Batman returned his attention to the surgery room. Five painful hours and eight coffee cups later, the Martian Manhunter and Superman came out of the surgery room, stating that Diana had come out of the crisis.

"Thank God!" Nemesis held J'onn's shoulders. "Thank you! Can I see her now?"

"We are transferring her to another room for further monitoring." The Man of Steel took off his surgical mask and gloves. "You may stay with her if you wish."

So, Nemesis stayed up until dawn, watching Diana recovering on her infirmary bed. Donna had accompanied him until Wonder Girl, Supergirl, and Power Boy (Kara's boyfriend for the last four years) had come in and ushered her to Diana's quarters for a few hours of rest. All that time, Batman had been staying with Diana, sitting in the corner, watching Nemesis as the blonde man watched his girlfriend sleeping.

At dawn, Diana woke up. Her first smile was given to Nemesis who was sitting next to her. Then, as she caressed Tom's tousled hair, she glanced around the room and saw Batman lurking in a shadowy corner. A split second's worth of surprise was seen in her azure eyes, but then she smiled again.

"You've been here all along?" she whispered in her raspy voice.

Batman wanted to lie, to feed Diana a story about having data analysis that he had to do at the Watchtower, that he just happened to be there watching over Diana, but then he gave in. "Yes," was his curt reply.

Her eyes smiled and looked watery. "Thanks, Batman. I truly appreciate it." She blinked, and a crystal clear tear fell down on her cheek.

Batman stayed for another hour as Cassie and Kara went in to give Diana her medicine and some liquids for her breakfast. When he returned to Gotham, he was certain that Diana had passed the most critical hours. Her magical healing ability had taken over the duty and the prognosis was good. Provided that there were no more appearances from Circe or any other magical villains to attack her, Wonder Woman would definitely made it for the Saturday talk in Gotham. Bruce was relieved knowing that. But, as he returned to the Wayne Manor and faced Talia's cold demeanor, he knew that something else had broken and no 'surgery' would be able to fix it this time.

-xxx-

_Tuscany, Italy, present day_

The serene song of the cicadas filled the evening atmosphere of Val d'Orcia in Tuscany region, including a small _Sangiovese grosso _plantation a few miles away south of the renaissance town of Pienza. Located in the brink of Orcia River, the vineyard belonged to Talia Al-Ghul Wayne, who was having her dinner with Alberto and Maria Dionni, her plantation care takers.

"How was the meal, Madam?" Speaking in a thick Italian-accented English, Maria stood to fix Talia's plates. Her prosperous figure somehow indicated her mastery in cooking, and so far, she hadn't given anyone reason to deny that hypothesis. Tonight, Maria had made smoked salmon and asparagus spirali for the dinner.

"Delicious as ever, Maria." Talia pushed her plate away and got up.

"Wine, Madam?" Alberto, a bearded man in his mid-60s, stood up and poured her a glass of Chianti.

"Thank you, Alberto." She walked to the large window and sipped her wine as she observed the view of the vineyard from her little chateau.

"Will you be requiring anything else tonight, Madam?"

"No, Maria, thank you. If I recall correctly, you are to leave for Pienza tonight, aren't you?"

"Well… yes, Madam." Maria continued collecting the plates. "To visit my sister. But I will be returning in the morning."

"That will be fine, Maria." Talia nodded. "I have Alberto to take care of me."

Maria smiled. "I shall bring you fresh bread tomorrow for breakfast. My sister bakes the most delicious bread in the region."

"Can't wait." Talia smiled. "Drive safely, Maria."

Talia watched as Alberto escorted his wife to their old station wagon. She stood there until Maria's car light disappeared. Soon, she heard Alberto walking into the dining room.

"If there's nothing else, I will retreat for the night, Madam."

"That would be fine, Alberto. Just lock the doors and gates. I shall be reading my book before going to bed."

The old caretaker nodded and did what his mistress told him. Soon, he went out of the main chateau to a small unit in the garden where he and Maria stayed.

Talia sat down by the window and took out her book. Yet, instead of reading it, she gazed outside again, watching as Alberto did the final checks and returned to his house. Once again, she felt a twinge of jealousy over the intimacy shared by the elderly couple. Alberto and Maria didn't have any children, but it didn't hinder their happiness. Somehow, they reminded her of herself and Bruce, of how she had once dreamt of sharing a simple life with him, much like what the Dionnis shared. That might have been easier to accomplish had she not born 'the Daughter of the Demon'.

Bruce Wayne had bought the plantation as a wedding present for his bride during their honeymoon, which the two of them had spent traveling in the rural areas of the Province of Siena in Tuscany region. Either tempted by Bruce's offer or having grown bored with the wine industry, the previous owner had gladly accepted the offer. He even relegated his old caretakers, Alberto and Maria Dionni, to remain at the plantation and take care of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne whenever they came for a visit.

After their honeymoon, Bruce and Talia returned four times to Piazza d'Talia, as they had christened their plantation. They got along well with the caretakers and often invited them to share meals with them the way Bruce did Alfred Pennyworth. Then, about three months ago, Talia had arrived alone in front of the chateau, looking tired and speaking very little. Alberto and Maria knew enough not to ask what had happened, so they attended to Talia's needs, which were not much, as Mrs. Wayne didn't really do a lot other than reading, walking around the plantation, and eating a bit of Maria's cooking. A few days later, Bruce Wayne arrived, and after two days, the Waynes had returned to the United States. Yet, Talia had returned to the plantation once more last week, and thus far, Mr. Wayne hadn't come to take her home.

Talia sighed, as she remembered too well the first time she come to Piazza d'Talia alone, without Bruce. It was the week after Bruce stayed at the Watchtower to watch over Diana, and for the young Mrs. Wayne, it had been an intolerable act. Talia knew that Diana hadn't done anything wrong with her husband, but she couldn't stop herself from wondering what had actually happened between Bruce and Diana before she herself had become Mrs. Wayne. Still, Talia couldn't ask about it. Since the night Bruce had dreamt of Diana and helped her in the Watchtower, Bruce and Talia's marriage had been going steadily downhill. Tuscany had become the escape then. Talia had also gone to Venice, Rome, and even southern France just to flee from the nagging questions inside her head.

The second time she came to Tuscany without Bruce was the day that Diana had cancelled her wedding. Bruce hadn't had much to say about her decision. But, had he asked, Talia would have told him that he had had another nightmare about Diana, one where he actually sobbed helplessly during the night. Talia had fallen to pieces that night and packed her things first thing in the morning. Bruce hadn't even noticed that; his nightmare had seemed to have taken its toll. Later, Talia wondered if Bruce even remembered that he had had another nightmare.

Talia looked down at her unread book and decided to wrap the day. She put the book aside and went upstairs to her room. After cleaning herself, changing to her night dress, and brushing her hair, she slipped into her bed. A blipping light on the nightstand forced her to reach for her mobile phone she had set on silent-mode. She frowned at the caller ID. _Bruce_. He was trying to call her. Talia bit her lip and ignored the call. Once the flashing light went off, she turned off the phone.

She had a feeling that Bruce wasn't calling to ask her to come home and start everything anew. She also had the feeling that he would figure out what she had done two years ago, sooner or later. And then, the chance of receiving his forgiveness would be near zero.

She bit her lip once more and turned over to go to sleep. Sleeping was much better; at least she didn't have to face reality in her dreams.

-xxx-

Well past midnight, Talia woke up to a faint noise somewhere downstairs in the chateau. She blinked several time, trying to register what the noise was about. _Must be the cat… _she concluded and closed her eyes again. Then suddenly, her eyes snapped open. _No. I don't have cats. I hate cats._

Her instinct as a fighter materialized. Swiftly, she jumped out of the bed and grabbed the Magnum she kept inside the nightstand. Hastily, she donned her robe and went downstairs, where she heard voices from the kitchen, voices that were not supposed to be marring the tranquility of the chateau.

"Alberto?" Talia checked her Magnum and went to the kitchen to try to find the old caretaker. "Alberto, what happened?"

She neared the kitchen and stepped in. She gasped at finding armed strangers in black standing in her immaculate kitchen and Alberto Dionni lying unconsciously at the floor. Confused and enraged, Talia stormed over to her caretaker. She checked the old man and was relieved to find that he was still alive. She looked up at the strangers.

"For God's sake! What have you done to him?!"

"Ah… inviting God to your conversations, now?" The voice didn't come from one of the strangers in black. Talia frowned and looked to the corner of the kitchen. Her brown eyes widened in shock and budding horror.

"Why… my dear little sister…why so surprised?" A tall dark-haired woman emerged from the dark corner. The woman's hair was longer than Talia remembered, but her icy blue eyes still emanated the same menace as before. The fluorescence light reflecting on her nose ring made her appearance more devil-like.

Talia shook her head in disbelief. "No… it can't be…"

"And why is that? What is so wrong with a sister visiting her own sibling?" The woman smirked. "My dear sister, Talia…"

Talia went numb for a moment. Then, clenching her hands, she hissed.

"What are you doing here, Nyssa?"

-TBC-

_Author's note:_

_Yeah…yeah… I know Nyssa Raatko was reported dead in Robin #148 (Thanks to BatmanWolverine for the info). But you know how it works in comics. No one dies forever. Especially a woman who owns a Lazarus Pit… _

_Next: back to Bats and Wondy. Anyone who wonders what Bruce told Diana before she cancelled her wedding will get the answer._


	12. The Starfish

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana/Nemesis, Bruce/Talia, Dick/Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Ch 12: What did Bruce tell Diana that made her cancel her wedding? Also, a princess visits a knight in Gotham. _

_Thanks so much to my readers for their review and encouragement and to A Little Summer Wine for the super speed and cool beta. I don't own DC or its characters. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 12. The Starfish**

"Are you sure, Robin?"

"_Positive. I will head over to your place for further identification, but I'm dead sure about it."_

Batman clenched his jaw. "Then I will wait here. Take Batgirl with you."

"_Sure, B. Robin out."_

Batman disconnected the connection and looked across the ocean of rooftops in front of him. After a short dinner with Alfred, he had gone out to patrol the city. Robin and Batgirl had reported to him later on, after they had departed from Tim's university party. Afterwards, the two teenagers had gone to patrol in another part of the city. Batman had been standing at the City Hall, hidden among the multitude of ugly gargoyles when Robin had called and told him the news he hadn't expected.

_You old fool. You should've expected it. With Talia gone, the emergence of the League of Assassins is imminent._ The Dark Knight heaved a heavy sigh as he replayed Robin's message in his mind, that Tim and Cassandra had seized a scimitar while fighting several thugs downtown. The sword bore a symbol that possibly linked to the involvement of the League of Assassins, and the presumably deceased Nyssa Raatko.

Batman shook his head. He should have remembered that in the Al-Ghul family, no one remained dead forever. He knew that he should warn Talia about the possible reappearance of her sister, but Talia hadn't been in contact since she left Gotham more than a week ago. He had called her this afternoon, only to speak to her answering machine. _Perhaps I should try again. But perhaps, Robin found an ordinary scimitar, not one from the League of Assassins. Perhaps Robin was wrong…_

He pondered for awhile then opened a compartment in his utility belt where he had placed his Bat-PDA. He took it out, dialed a number, and listened for a while. He shook his head as he realized that no one was going to answer his call. With a heavy sigh, he placed his PDA back in the utility belt. Then, remembering something, he opened another compartment. His frown disappeared as soon as he took a navy blue pouch out and placed it on his palm. His lips formed a thin smile as he remembered the story about the pouch.

-xxx-

_Themyscira, ten days ago_

"Diana, don't do this. Cancel the wedding."

With eyes unobstructed by his opaque lenses, Bruce Wayne looked into Diana's azure eyes. Eyes that failed to hide their surprises. Eyes that belonged to the most magnificent woman he ever encountered and then lost because of his own stupidity.

Said magnificent woman opened her mouth to say something but couldn't find the words. She then tucked her long raven hair behind her ear, trying to buy some time before responding.

"Diana..." he finally broke the silence between them. He stepped closer. "Deep down, you know that this is not the right course of action. Please... for your own happiness, please cancel the wedding."

Diana of Themyscira, known to the world as Wonder Woman, finally found her voice. "Are you sure you're not drunk, Bruce? The cocktail party is tomorrow evening at the Embassy, not now."

Bruce shook his head. "Diana, you know that I'm dead serious." He still looked her in the eye; she eventually had to avert her eyes from his intense gaze. "You haven't lost your immortality, Diana. I know that. You can still cancel the wedding."

Diana blinked. "You know what, Bruce? That is just plain rude, even from you."

He looked her in the eyes. "You don't love Tom, Diana. Don't fool yourself. Let him go."

"How would you know, Bruce?" She snapped. "You weren't there to help me ease the pain of loosing you!"

He sighed. "Diana, we both know that my refusal three years ago was based on a sound and logical argument." He ran his fingers over his damp hair. The morning sunlight of Themyscira fell on his concerned face. "At that time, anyway."

"I understand well what you thought, Bruce." Diana's tone turned colder, her azure eyes accusing him. "You thought I was not good enough for you, that you had to dump me and marry another woman afterwards!"

"I married Talia a year after we broke up, Diana!" he responded harsher than he meant to. He inhaled again and muttered, "God... Diana, don't even go that way... Surely you've heard the rumors by now about me and Talia... It..." He pursed his lips. "It's not working between me and her..."

Diana was still, quietly listening to his words. She folded her hands and studied the grass below her feet instead of looking at him.

"And I didn't dump you, Diana. We both reached the same conclusion and agreed on terminating the relationship."

"Then you married Talia. Of course, you didn't sacrifice her immortality; she has a Lazarus Pit anyway!"

Bruce didn't make any comment. Instead, he massaged the back of his neck and looked up to the sky, feeling tired.

Diana sighed and walked deeper into the garden to a spot where she could see the glittering blue ocean. "Anyway... it's not important, Bruce. I knew from the start that your marriage wasn't a perfect one. But I didn't want to say anything about it. I thought... it wasn't my place..."

"You should have, Diana. You should have." Bruce had followed, standing right behind her. "I could've changed my mind then."

"Does it really make a difference, Bruce?" Diana turned to scrutinize the man she always loved deep inside her heart. "You didn't want to bed me, to make love with me, because you're afraid of taking my immortality away. Would my telling you that marrying Talia was a mistake has changed that?"

Bruce was quiet for awhile. Then he softly stated, "No, it might not have made a difference then, as in because I would wed you right away instead of Talia. But you had seen the flaws behind my justifications. That I… not only married her because of my past with her… But because I also felt sorry for her." Bruce pursed his lips. Diana was quite. Bruce shook his head and resumed. "If you had told me by then, I could've cancelled my wedding... and..."

"You're still not going to marry me anyway. What's the point?"

"At least, Talia and I didn't go through all the lies we did all these two years..." he whispered. "At least, I had another chance to see the flaws of my arguments with you..."

Diana sneered. "Would you have _ever_ seen it, Bruce?"

He was quick to answer. "Yes, I would. In fact, I have. That's why I'm asking you not to marry Nemesis."

Diana shook her head. "Tom is a good man, Bruce. A decent man. I love him."

"Not the way you love me, Diana." His confident tone spoke volumes about his knowledge of her heart.

She gave a half-hearted chuckle. "Please, Bruce! How can you be so sure of that? In all this time, I never seduced you, never talked of anything remotely related to intimacy or romance with you. How come you still think I still love you?!"

"Simple." He stepped closer to her, taking her hands. "From the way you surreptitiously looked at me during any battles, making sure that I was alright. From the way you stayed up at the Watchtower until I woke up in the sickbay any time I was injured in battle. Now that I think of it, from the look you gave me as you woke up in the infirmary after the fight with Circe and found me there, by your side. Also, from your occasional secret visits to Gotham, although you tried to be incognito."

Flabbergasted, Diana bit her lip. She opened her mouth to rebuke him, then closed it again. Finally, she whispered, "How do you know... about Gotham?"

"Oracle informed me. You usually shut down your locator when you went to Gotham, but twice you forgot to do that. Whether it was intentional or not, that enabled Oracle to tell me your whereabouts. Afterwards, tracking your actual positions during several occasions when your locator was off wasn't a hard thing to do."

Diana pursed her lips. After a while, she spoke up. "You're a friend of mine, Bruce. I can't let anything happen to you..."

"True," he smiled. "But you also know that I will still call you for help anyway. Our breaking up never deterred me from calling on you during emergencies."

"You never did."

"Because there was never such an emergency. But, I assure you, I would have, if the need was there." His smile slowly faded. He looked down at the grass. "Look. I know Nemesis is a good man, Diana. In fact, had you not displayed those signals to me, I would be more encouraged to let you go."

She shook her head and let go of her hands. "What you're asking of me is impossible, Bruce. Even if I don't love Nemesis the way I love you, it's not enough to cancel my wedding."

"It _is_ for Wonder Woman." Bruce turned, looking back at her with such persistence; she couldn't help but listen to him. "Not from the power standpoint, but because you're the Guardian of Truth. Nemesis is too good a man to be goaded into a false marriage, Diana."

"I'm not goading him!" she chided.

"Yet. Not yet. In two days, you will take vows; you will cheat him out of a real marriage. And then you will live a miserable marriage." _Like me..._ He wanted to say that, but restrained himself.

Diana looked away again. "Stop it, Bruce. Just because I still love you, you have no right to use that against me. It's an unfair and imbalanced situation."

He tilted his head, interested. "And why is that?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "You're married, Bruce. You're a husband. Isn't that clear enough?"

"But I don't live in a happy marriage, Diana." _There. I said that._ "I can't leave Talia just like that, for I have asked her to be my wife. But you still have the chance to go out of the problem. To live a truthful life, the way you used to."

She looked at him, her eyes started to well with tears. "I can't, Bruce. I can't hurt Tom."

"You will hurt him if you lie to him, Diana. You will break him if you try to convince him that he is The One for you."

She snorted and looked away. "You said that in your own interest."

"Of course. I don't want my dear friend to live a life I'm currently living. A dishonest sham of a marriage is not an adventure. It's hell." He tried to search her eyes, but she avoided his gaze. He sighed. "All right. I don't want the woman I _love_ living in the kind of marriage that I have. There, that's everything. All I have to convince you."

That worked. Diana slowly turned to him. She remained silent for a while, then whispered, "You're a liar…"

He was undeterred. "I've never been this truthful."

"Stop treating me like I'm a fool, Bruce. Please!" she sighed and looked away. "Please leave. I don't want to destroy either my wedding day or our friendship."

Bruce shook his head. "You're not a fool, Diana. I am." He opened a compartment in his utility belt. "A fool for leaving you instead of trying to find a better way to solve our problems. A fool for thinking that I could live a better life without you in it." He took out a navy blue velvet pouch from his belt and opened it. "A fool for trying to forget you, yet for three years I have always carried this…"

Opening his hand, he showed her the item on his palm. Diana gasped.

It was a Tiffany silver starfish necklace, the exact one that she used to wear three years ago. After she and Bruce broke up, Diana had flown directly to New York, crying all the way. It wasn't until a week later that she realized she had lost her necklace. It never occurred to her that Bruce had taken off the necklace while he was kissing her. She had believed that the starfish necklace had been lost during her speedy flight. She hadn't dared to call Bruce to ask, for talking with him would evoke unwanted feelings. Feelings she'd rather forget.

Instead, the very symbol of what had happened that night and the love she had once shared with Bruce was symbolically represented in front of her. The morning rays of Themyscira sun fell on the sparkling jewelry, making it more beautiful than Diana had remembered.

"I took it off from you when we were…" Bruce cleared his throat. "Anyway, you forgot to take it home with you. I found it the morning after, and ever since, it had been a loyal resident of my utility belt."

Small silver rivers started to flow down Diana's cheeks.

"I had meant to return it to you, Diana. But every time I wanted to, a voice within me always stopped me because this was the last connection I have with you. I don't intend to lose it the way I lost you."

Diana gazed at the starfish pendant Bruce had placed on her palm. She didn't utter a single word for minutes. When she finally did, her voice was shaky.

"Why, Bruce? Why did you have to say no back then? Why did you have to reject me?"

Bruce took her hand in his. His gauntlet was obstructing the feel of her and he truly wanted to take it off, to feel her gentle touch once more.

"Because, as I already said at that night…I didn't want to take Wonder Woman away from the world. From the people that need you, Diana." His fingertips slowly traced the beautiful starfish resting in her hand. "My mission and yours might seem to contradict, but they don't, not really. I'm constantly fighting for justice in Gotham, to curb corruption and deceit in the city. But I also realize that the real problem stems from so many years ago where Gothamites allowed injustice and greed to rule the city instead of hope, love, and respect. And truth."

Letting go of Diana's hand, Bruce inhaled and turned towards the ocean. "When you first came to Man's World, Diana, you preached to us about the importance of love and respect for world peace. And all I could think was that we didn't need such utopia in this world."

Diana smiled sadly. "Not the first time I've heard of it."

"But it turned out that I was wrong." Bruce looked back at her. "I was dead wrong, Diana. People like me, Nightwing, Batgirl, and Robin are needed to safeguard the city physically. But people like you… people who will always believe in love, peace, and the goodwill of mankind are needed throughout the world."

Diana was quiet again, her fingers tracing the lines of her starfish. Bruce went on.

"Heroes like you are needed to remind people like me that often violence cannot be solved with violence. Instead, we need to go deeper, delve into the root of the problems that plague our society in order to get rid of our own ignorance and greed. We need you to show us that love does exist. And I mean true Love, with capital L. Compassion. True love is needed to sit down together and mend our broken promises and solve our conflicts. True love needs to be taught to parents and children, so that maniacs like Joker, Luthor, and the Cheetah will not continue to exist in this world. You showed your true love to us during the Crisis five years ago, Diana, as you always have. After the Crisis, you continued showering us with hope and love, even though some of us rejected you."

Diana gave a weak smile. "Can you imagine me not doing those things?"

Bruce shook his head. "No. And that's the reason I love you. There are others too numerous to mention, but that's the main one. _The _reason I love you."

A teardrop splashed onto the starfish. Diana wiped her cheek. "It doesn't change the fact that you married someone else."

"No. But it also doesn't change the fact that I love you still, no matter what's happened. And Diana…" Bruce hesitated before gathering his courage and speaking. "If I could turn back the hands of time to our dinner at the Manor…" Diana closed her eyes at his words, but Bruce pursed his lips and continued, "If we could do that, I would take back all that I said to you that night."

Diana opened her eyes. Bruce wiped away her tears and resumed. "I would not be deterred by the fact that I would take your immortality away, Diana."

"There's no way to avoid that anyway, Bruce," she whispered. "I asked the Themysciran Oracles afterwards. Once you bed me, I lose the immortality. But you know that I would've done that gladly."

"I know… I know…" he cast a rueful smile. "And despite the fact that it's only a 'what if', I still want to say that…" he pursed his lips. " – I would do that, Diana. I would bed you, make love with you, and marry you. There's no happiness that is comparable to having you by my side, Diana. You're the beacon I need in my life, and I spent the last three years without it…"

Diana swallowed hard. "Playing 'what if' Bruce… If all that happened, you would lose your Wonder Woman one day."

He shrugged. "It's very likely that I will have died by then. You might lose your immortality, Diana, but your aging rate is still slower than mine. I'm afraid that the world will lose Batman before they lose Wonder Woman. And perhaps, it's not even important."

Once again, he looked into the azure eyes, the eyes he had missed so much.

"It doesn't matter if they lose Batman or Wonder Woman, Diana. No one lives forever. When I die, I want to die in your embrace. If you die first, and I surely hope not, I want to embrace you as you breathe your last breath. Whenever that happens, we will make sure that the Earth will not lose Batman and Wonder Woman. For we have already created our successors beforehand, the next generations to carry on for us."

Diana was stunned. "You truly believe that, Bruce?"

"No one can hold a position and a role forever, Diana. What we could do is to best prepare our heirs to better the Earth in our stead. And I don't only mean costumed Batman and Wonder Woman. I'm thinking of men and women, children, who understand and believe in our causes, our missions, in love and justice. People that would continue shaping a better planet for their descendants, whether in costumes or in plain clothes. A planet where everyone and every entity will be treated equally with love and respect, the way you always dreamed of."

She studied him and gave a chuckle. "Really, Bruce. Who's the activist here?"

He smiled. "Can't help it. Always listened to your speeches and read your essays. Especially after that night…"

Diana looked down, studying the green grass and pebbled stones. Bruce waited and waited, then finally asked.

"So, will you cancel the wedding?"

She looked up, and Bruce felt his heart sinking as he saw the look in her eyes.

"I can't, Bruce. I'm sorry. All your arguments are sweet and valid; I cannot find any flaws in your reasoning. But I can't."

"Look, Diana…" Bruce ran his fingers threw his hair once more. "Is this because I can't make any promise about our future? This is not about me, Diana. It's about you. Being Wonder Woman, you must uphold the Truth!"

"Bruce…" Diana gave him a sad smile. "I understand that. But you must also remember that Wonder Woman is a warrior. A warrior always adheres to her promises."

Bruce's heart sank deeper as she continued. "I cannot leave Tom like that, Bruce. Perhaps you're right; that he's not The One. But he has been so nice to me, so supportive of me… I can see that a happy life with him is not impossible."

Bruce clenched his jaw, forcing himself not to simply explode in disappointment. They remained silent for awhile before Diana looked up.

"It's almost noon. I have to make sure that Kara, Cassie, and Donna are having their lunch. They didn't have breakfast at all this morning."

Bruce knew that despite Diana's attention to her sisters, it was also a diversion from their current conversation.

"Will you be joining us for lunch?"

He shook his head and forced a smile. "No. Alfred awaits me in Gotham… for the Armani fitting."

She shrugged. "As you wish, Bruce." She walked back to the fitting quarters, but suddenly halted and turned back. She moved towards Batman, who had put back on his cowl and was standing idly, staring at the blue ocean, cape billowing behind him. The Amazon bride-to-be could feel an immense loneliness emanated from the quiet figure. She hesitated, then resumed walking. She touched his shoulder gently.

"Bruce, take this with you. I've lost it three years ago; it might as well have been yours. Carrying it with me… will have too many ramifications."

Bruce looked at the starfish pendant Diana just placed back on his palm. He then looked at her, her azure eyes pleading for his consent.

"Please, Bruce?"

He clenched his palm and nodded; his expression blank. "As you wish, Princess. As you wish."

-xxx-

_Gotham, present day_

Batman looked at the starfish necklace on his gauntleted palm, his fingers caressing the smooth surface of the jewelry. It was the same pendant that he had taken off Diana's neck as he had been worshiping her body so many years ago. It was the same pendant that he had taken everywhere in his belt as a symbol of something he had once again lost. And now, the pendant bore another meaning: Hope. A very faint hope, but hope nonetheless.

"People might think that you've taken Selina's former occupation if you keep staring at the necklace like that."

Batman smirked and turned to see Wonder Woman in a blue floral summer dress hovering behind him.

"It's not sparkly enough for Catwoman to steal. I don't think she'd even consider stealing such an item these days."

Diana chuckled. "She has some Tiffanies already anyway."

"At a discounted price?"

She laughed. "Don't ask her that. She doesn't like people knowing that she loves discounts."

Bruce shrugged. "A good saving strategy so that she could can afford more baby supplies."

Diana grinned as she landed gracefully on the rooftop.

"I was expecting Robin and Batgirl. Never thought that you'd drop by." He smiled. "Not that I'm not glad, though."

She smiled back. "How's Cassandra?"

"Getting better, thank you." Batman nodded solemnly at Wonder Woman.

"I'm glad you took her under your wing once more, Bruce. You are her family, she is much better in the Manor than outside."

Bruce nodded. "She plans to study at Gotham University, take some psychology courses next semester."

"Really?" Diana was surprised. "That's great, Bruce!"

"I think I will persuade her to stay in Kara's Gotham apartment. Good to have someone she can talk to. Girls her age, I mean."

Diana nodded in excitement and sat down atop one of the gargoyles. Batman received a call from Robin, stating that he and Batgirl were delayed due to a robbery, but would be in Batman's position as soon as possible. After acknowledging the information and ending the conversation, Batman looked up to Wonder Woman, who was swinging her legs here and there as she perched on the gargoyle. They looked at each other for a while.

"You didn't come to the dinner this evening, Bruce." Diana blurted out. "Why?"

Behind his cowl, Bruce blinked at the direct question. He sighed. "You know why. Do I still have to spell it out for you?"

She jumped down and looked at him, giving him a look he could only describe as longing and lust. "Dick and Donna were there. Nothing would have happened, Bruce."

"You don't know that…" Unconsciously, Bruce's feet moved, approaching the lady with an expression similar to her own. "Who knows what I would have done if I'd taken you home to the Embassy?"

"Then don't take me home. I can fly on my own."

He shook his head. "You know it doesn't work that way…"

Diana didn't respond. It was true, it didn't work that way. Every time she was in close proximity with Bruce, her body always screamed for his touch, for his kisses, for him to whisper that he loved her. And she knew that also applied for Bruce. Thus, taking into account their complicated situation, both of them agreed to just do lunches until everything was a little better resolved.

By the same token, she also knew that it was better for her not to visit Bruce at night. It had been a while since she visited Gotham; her last incognito visit had been more than a month ago, before she decided to marry Tom. And now, standing so close to the man who had lurked in the recesses of her mind for years, she felt her resolution weaken.

And apparently, so did Bruce.

"Diana…" she didn't move as Bruce used the back of his fingers to caress her cheek. She didn't even flinch as he rubbed his chin over her cheek. She shivered as she felt Bruce's hot ragged breath on her skin. But when he attempted to kiss her, she withdrew.

"Bruce…" she sighed, a glint of sadness in her eyes. "You're still married…"

Bruce wanted to say that Talia had left him, but he knew that it wasn't a strong enough reason for a Wonder Woman. So, he exhaled and looked at her. "Talia hasn't answered any messages I gave her." He clenched his jaws. "Phones, text messages, emails… the only thing I haven't tried is snail mail, facsimile, or going there myself."

Diana nodded several times solemnly. "Is she alright?"

Bruce wasn't surprised that Diana's concern also covered Talia's well-being. "If something had happened to her, I would have known by now."

Diana nodded once more. "I understand. As you said, it's not because I want you to leave Talia that I cancelled my own wedding. I… I knew that it was not that easy."

"Diana…"

She raised her hand and gave a weak smile. "It's alright, Bruce. Truly. I'm not going anywhere, and I have no intention of embarking on another relationship right now."'Other than with you' was something she didn't say, but they both knew it anyway.

Bruce clenched his jaw. "Diana, I…"

"Batman!"

Both Batman and Wonder Woman looked up to see Robin and Batgirl swinging in; Robin carrying a sword on his hand. Diana smiled and looked back at Bruce.

"They've come. I think I should go now." She fixed her dress. "I have a Foundation program at Río de Apurimac in Perú early morning tomorrow." Still, she didn't move an inch.

"Can't you stay?" Batman didn't lower his voice, even though Robin and Batgirl were just behind him.

She hesitated for a moment. "That's sweet, Bruce. But I think they want to discuss something with you and just you." She looked at the necklace and added. "Keep the starfish, Bruce. It was on sale, but still expensive. I'll sue you if you lose it."

Batman chuckled. "I can always buy you a new one, Princess."

"It's not the same and you know it."

"Then I will return it to you one day. With another piece of jewelry for a bonus."

Diana looked at Bruce's resolute expression. She smiled, and a comfortable warmth flooded his heart.

"That's sweet. Good night, Bruce. Bye Tim, Cassandra!"

With that, Wonder Woman disappeared in the night of Gotham, leaving Batman with his dopey grin and Robin and Batgirl questioning their mentor's out of character behavior.

-TBC-

_Author's note:_

_Okay. Tell me if you think Bruce's reasoning was silly or not. To me, it came out naturally after pondering this very stubborn man for so long… Humanity was what made him broke up with Diana… and the same humanity was the same thing that made him came back. After a long contemplation, of course…_


	13. Marry Me

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Ch 13: Diana ponders her wedding decision. Bruce meets Nemesis again. And what happens to Talia?_

_Thanks so much to my readers for their review and encouragement and to A Little Summer Wine for the great beta. I don't own DC or its characters. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 13. Marry Me**

_Gotham, Sunday night_

Wonder Woman cruised the night sky of Gotham like an eagle; gliding for a while with the help of the night breeze. She passed by the Lady Gotham statue and her scale of justice. It was her first time in Gotham since a few weeks ago, and it was crystal clear in her mind that she had stopped right there, above Gotham's Statue of Justice, considering her crazy plan of visiting the city – and its certain dark protector– for the last time before her wedding. She had realized that it had been a stupid move: a series of incognito visits to Gotham just to have a sneak peek of what Batman had been doing, while she could actually just tap his reports from the Lunar Watchtower. It had taken Batman to show her that visiting Gotham was little more than a sign that she still loved the Dark Knight the way that she had done years ago. Worse, she might even love him more now, after listening to all his confession that day in Paradise Island.

Diana sighed and was about to turn and head to New York when the balance reminded her of someone else.

Nemesis, with the trademark scale as his symbol.

Hovering in front of the Lady Gotham scale for a while, Diana pursed her lips. She knew that Tom would not take any extreme measures of revenge against her – it was just not in him. Still, he had been pretty mad when she cancelled the wedding, and she wondered if ever their friendship would return to normal.

Diana sighed as she realized that it might take a long time to fix her friendship with Tom. She still clearly remembered how she made that very important (or 'inappropriate' decision, to be exact) that night about her relationship and Tom. She wished she could take it all back, but she knew better. Until she could move past her guilt, she knew that the scale between her and Tom would not balance. She gazed at Lady Gotham's scale once more then flew back to New York City.

-xxx-

_A month ago_

"This is where Selina lives?" Tom blinked.

"Yes."

He whistled. "Some kind of penthouse…"

"Always the best for Ms. Kyle," Diana smiled. "Careful with that ice cream, Tom."

Tom checked the plastic bag he carried and went, "Oh, yeah…"

"Shall we go in?"

He nodded. "You betcha."

Tom Tresser followed Diana of Themyscira entering one of the most luxurious apartments in East End, where Selina Kyle or the Catwoman lived in one of its penthouses. After greeting the gate keeper, they took an elevator to the penthouse level and embarked in a very plush flower-decorated marbled corridor.

"What did you say she's doing, again?"

"Watching Helena." Looking at her reflection on a large mirror at the corridor, Diana combed her hair with her fingers. "How do I look?" That night, she was wearing a marshmallow pink floral dress and carrying a Peruvian ethnic bag.

"Gorgeous as ever," Tom kissed her and received her sweet smile. "Seriously. I can't understand how Selina could afford such a place just by taking care of Helena." He looked at her and received her mischievous smile. He arched one eyebrow. "Her other activity must be very fruitful."

Diana cleared her throat. "Ahem. For your information, I think Selina knows how to invest her money. Plus, she's making her career as a mom-baby fashion designer now, so I don't see why she can't make a lot of money." For several months, Selina Kyle had indeed started a new career as a children fashion designer. Donna Troy-Grayson had helped setting up her portfolio and the business seemed to be growing steadily ever since.

Tom shrugged. "Good for her." He followed Diana and whispered as she knocked the door. "We're not late, aren't we?"

Diana was about to say 'no' when the door was opened, revealing the happy face of Helena Bertinelli-Szasz, the Huntress, and shrieks similar to the one of the Silver Banshee's echoing from within the penthouse.

"Helena! What are you doing!"

"Eeeekkk! Helena! Goldie's out!"

The raven-haired Helena gasped and tried to close the door, but she was too late. A flash of golden ran fast from behind the door and into the corridor. Before she could mutter a word, a blonde toddler cried out loud, "Auntie Helena! You let Goldie go!"

Helena blinked, then shouted, "I'll catch her!"

But Diana was faster. She was surprised to receive such an odd welcome, but she soon realized that the people inside Selina's penthouse had reacted that way because a puppy had run away from behind the door and into the corridor. The puppy, a golden retriever, was now running into the open elevator, of which the door was closing in.

"I'll get her!"

Nothing beat the speed of Hermes as Diana shoved all her things at Tom and dove towards the elevator, pulling the golden puppy out of the small space before the door was closed.

"There…there…there…" she smiled and stroked Helena's blonde hair. "Auntie Di got her. Problem solved, Helena. Stop crying."

The blonde toddler sniffled and smiled. "Thank you, Auntie Di…" She then hugged her puppy and sat down at the corridor. At the same time, Selina appeared from the penthouse and tsk-ed her daughter.

"Helena, don't sit there. Go inside, sweet pea, or Goldie might run away again."

"Oh, yeah!" Realizing that her mom was correct, little Helena was quick to get up and, following Aunt Helena, brought her puppy into her house.

Diana looked at Selina in amusement. "Golden retriever? A dog? In your house?"

Selina rolled her emerald eyes. "Not my idea, definitely. I don't like dogs!"

Diana chuckled as she remembered Clark's story of Selina, Lois, and Krypto. "I think you and Lois should form a hate-dog club. Who bought the dog then?"

Selina gestured at the door. "His Highness's idea, of course."

Diana turned and saw Bruce Wayne leaning at the door, his deep blue eyes smiled at her. His both hands were tucked inside his brown pants and he was wearing a nice black sweater and a brown jacket. In short, he was charming and handsome as ever. Diana felt her heart flip for a second before she muttered,

"Goldie? You named the dog Goldie?"

Bruce shrugged, the corner of his eyes wrinkled in amusement. "Better than Lassie or Timmy. And hi, Diana."

Diana blinked. "In Selina's cathouse?"

He chuckled. "Good idea, isn't it? I asked Helena what she wanted for her birthday, and she said she wanted a puppy. So, a puppy it is."

Still looked annoyed, Selina placed her hands on her hips. "Yup. A puppy in my house. Charming." She then tilted her head to greet Tom Tresser. "Hi Tom. Nice introduction to my house, eh?"

Tom chuckled and hugged her. "Very. Hi, Selina. How are you?"

"I'd be much better if Bruce hadn't had the grand idea of bringing my daughter a puppy for her fourth birthday." Selina hugged Tom back. "Say, you haven't met Bruce, have you?"

Tom swept his gaze to Bruce and surreptitiously clenched his jaw. "No, I believe we haven't officially been introduced to each other."

"Well… okay then." Selina raised her hands. "Agent Nemesis, meet billionaire Bruce Wayne. Bruce, meet Tom Tresser."

Bruce looked and gave a lazy smile. "Hi, how are you?" He shook Tom's hand casually.

"Fine." Tom strived not to grit his teeth. "I'm fine. You? Don't have any charity events tonight?"

Bruce looked at him and smiled again. "Ah, yes. We did meet several times at several charity events. You're with…Diana?"

"Yes." Nemesis folded his hands. "Diana and I are together."

Bruce's eyes widened in surprised. "Ah… yes… of course. That explains why I always saw you two together."

Tom clenched his jaws and forced a smile. "Well, good. Now you know."

Selina cleared her throat. "If you don't mind, gentlemen, my daughter is hungry. We should start eating soon."

Bruce flashed Selina his playboy smile. "Sure, babe. Whatever you say."

Selina rolled her eyes. "Don't 'babe' me, Bruce. Talia will kick you if she hears that. Now you two, get in!"

-xxx-

It was a great birthday party for Helena Kyle. She was the only child in Selina's apartment, but all her mother's friends were very nice to her. Mommy gave her a very nice cat pendant. "It's silver, sweet pea. Very lovely for you." Mommy then clasped the necklace to her neck. Helena liked the look of the shining cat on her neck. Then Aunt Holly and Aunt Karon came with two big cat dolls. Helena didn't need more cats, but cat dolls were good. Mommy already had five living cats here, with Isis as the mommy cat.

Aunt Dinah came with a nice pot of little flowers called 'wild orchids' that looked like little kitty heads for Little Helena. Aunt Helena brought her a very nice apron with embroidered wild berries and cats for her. She usually needed an apron because she loved helping Mommy cooking dinner and she always spilled something in the process. Uncle Ted came very early during the evening. He brought her a puzzle block and helped her arranging the puzzle block to create a wooden cat. Uncle Sam also came with Grandpa Slam, and she was very happy that they seemed to be okay with each other now. Uncle Sam brought a Barbie doll dressed as a nurse (she loved white clothes); Grandpa Slam brought her a music box that played lots of nice songs.

Then Aunt Donna and Uncle Dick came with some cute animal dolls and a very nice fairy dress, complete with the pink wings to put on the back. Very cute. She would wear it tomorrow when Uncle Bruce took her to the park as promised.

Helena looked around to find Uncle Bruce, as he had been very nice to bring her Goldie. Mommy didn't like the idea of a puppy, and she seemed to be annoyed with Goldie. Well, Uncle Bruce said that if Mommy was angry, she could ask Grandpa Alfred to take care of Goldie for her at the Manor, and she could visit Goldie every weekend. She didn't want that. She loved Goldie, and she wanted to sleep with the puppy tonight. Mommy would have to understand.

Little Helena found Uncle Bruce sitting at the corner, drinking something Mommy called 'punch'. She tried to wave at him, but he didn't see her. Instead, he seemed to be paying more attention to Aunt Diana and Uncle Tom, who came with a set of children story books (Mommy shrieked when she saw the presents, and she went 'Hilda Boswell! Diana, this is vintage! Where did you get these?'). Auntie Diana was eating something called 'dim-sum', and she got a smear of the accompanying condiment on the corner of her lips. Uncle Tom laughed at Aunt Diana and took a Kleenex to clean her face and then they laughed together. Helena loved listening to Aunt Diana laughing. She sounded like angels in the cartoons she often saw.

Helena scooped up Goldie and toddled over to Uncle Bruce's seat. She wanted him to teach her some dog tricks she had seen on TV. Uncle Bruce was smart, he would tell her. She tugged his pants when she reached his corner. He looked down and smiled.

"Yes, Muffin? What is it?"

"Uncle Bruce, can you teach Goldie to pick up newspapers?"

He smiled. Helena always loved his smile, as whenever Uncle Bruce smiled, his blue eyes seemed to be twinkling like stars. "I'm afraid she's still too young, angel. But why don't we try tomorrow at the park?"

"You will come? Really?"

He held his hand up. "Five o'clock. Promise."

"Are you taking Auntie Talia with you?"

Uncle Bruce pursed his lips before answering, "Unlikely, sweetheart. Auntie Talia is busy."

"Oh. Okay." Then Helena smiled. Auntie Talia was pretty; she liked her. But Mommy didn't seem to like talking to Auntie Talia. In turn, Aunt Talia never came to her house and visited her the way that Uncle Bruce did. That was okay, though. Aunt Diana usually came to play with her if Aunt Holly was busy.

"Thanks for Goldie," she muttered as sat down on the rug and hugged Uncle Bruce's leg.

Uncle Bruce looked at her and smiled. "It's my pleasure, Pumpkin."

Uncle Bruce looked back again at Aunt Diana and Uncle Tom, and his smile vanished. Aunt Diana was eating a cherry and Uncle Tom took the cherry from her with his lips. Little Helena giggled as they ate the cherry together now. Then she looked back again at Uncle Bruce and frowned. Helena didn't like it when Uncle Bruce didn't smile. He looked scary.

"Ready for the cake?"

"What?" Bruce looked up and found Selina squatting to scoop her daughter.

"Cake," Selina repeated. "We're going to cut the cake now."

"Oh." Bruce pursed his lips. "I'm afraid I can't. I need to go now."

Selina blinked "What?! But we haven't gotten to the birthday cake."

Helena looked up. "Uncle Bruce, are you leaving so soon? You promised to stay with me to play." She pouted, hugged Goldie in protest, and looked down the rug.

"I'm sorry, sweet pea…" Bruce sighed. To Selina, he added, "I have to do the regular night check." That meant patrolling.

Selina frowned. "It's not even eight, Bruce. Why the hurry?" She squinted. "Talia called?"

He shook his head. "No. I just need to back Tim and Cassandra."

"You've dismissed yourself until nine tonight, that's what you said," Selina folded her hands. "Obviously, you've changed your mind."

"Who changed whose mind?" Diana approached them. "Selina, where do you put the paper plates for the cake? I didn't find them on the table."

"In the plastic bag next to the microwave," Selina answered, not wavering in her glare at Bruce. Diana nodded. She was about to get the plates when Selina spoke again. "Don't bother to take them all out. Bruce is going to leave now."

"Leave?" Diana stopped and looked at Bruce. "But, it's not even eight."

"That's what I told him," Selina snorted.

"Bruce?" Diana tilted her head and studied him. Bruce shrugged and mouthed the word 'patrol'. She arched her eyebrow and went, "How about Tim and Cass? I thought they were on duty."

"Change of plans," he said as he went to Little Helena. "Helena, sweetheart, I'm sorry I have to go. But we're on for a date tomorrow at 5 o'clock."

Helena pouted her lips. "You don't want to stay and eat my cake?"

"I can't, honey, I can't." Bruce got up. Helena was quick to grab his thigh and cling on to it.

"No, don't go," she said persistently.

Diana and Selina exchanged looks and chuckled. "It seems you have to wait for awhile, Bruce," Diana commented.

Bruce shook his head. "I really can't."

"Nonsense," Selina butted in. "I've heard of no emergency tonight; your business is safe with your partners. Come on. Have some cake."

"Please, Uncle Bruce…" still clinging to Bruce's leg, Helena looked up. "Please?"

Bruce Wayne sighed and nodded. "Alright. I'll have some cake. But I really needed to go afterwards."

-xxx-

Bruce stayed until the Happy Birthday was sung, the candles were blown, and the cake was cut. He took some cake for Alfred, hugged Helena and Selina, and said, "Bye everyone!"

Diana watched him taking his coat. She pursed her lips and went to him.

"You're really leaving, Bruce?"

Bruce looked at her and nodded. "Sorry, Diana. I really have to."

"I didn't see you receive any signals."

"Instinct. Never ignore a hunch."

She squinted. "Right."

He studied her. "You look well, Diana." It was true. Diana looked healthier, especially when Bruce thought of the night they nearly lost Wonder Woman as the consequence of her battling Circe and Medusa.

She placed her hands on her hips. "That's your newest goodbye?"

"I mean it. I'm glad that you're alright." He put his coat on. "Nice to see you again, Diana."

Diana hesitated before going, "Well… take care, then." She was about to speak again when Tom appeared behind her and hugged her waist.

"Not eating the cake, Princess?"

Diana smiled as Tom kissed her cheek. "Later, Tom. Bruce is leaving."

"Really?" Tom looked at Bruce. "Why so soon?"

"I have to make an international call from the office to Japan." Bruce fixed his coat. "They're still working there."

Tom eyed him directly. "Right. Well…" He gave his hand, "…nice to finally meet you, Bruce."

"Same to you," Bruce shook Tom's hand, a little too long and too strong for a hand shake, but Tom seemed to match his power. "I'll see you guys later on."

With that, Bruce Wayne went out and closed the door, leaving Diana pondering the split second brute-force alpha-male display in front of her just now.

-xxx-

"Why is he in such a hurry?" Dinah Lance-Queen cut the chocolate cake. "It's still too early."

Helena Bertinelli-Szasz shrugged and went to help Selina with the plates. "He might have another dinner with his wife."

Dinah snorted. "Another dinner. Yeah, right…" Then, she waved to Donna. "Hi, Donna! Have you heard about Roy's newest girl friend? Or ex-girl friend, to be precise?"

As the ladies chatted, Diana went to the balcony and sat on a long couch. She had wanted to help her friends with the plates, but the kitchen was already occupied by Selina, Holly, and Helena. So she opted to get away from the crowd and enjoyed the night sky of East End from the balcony. Although, being idle was not a good mood for her right now, as she found herself pondering about Bruce and his weird demeanor just now.

Well, not only just now. Bruce had been acting weird since she had started dating Tom last year. Had Bruce not already married Talia, Diana would have thought that Bruce was jealous of her relationship. She knew that he still cared a lot for her; his staying up at the Lunar Watchtower a few months back was evidence to that. However, she also knew that Bruce loved Talia and, contrary to the playboy image he used to display, he was a very loyal husband. In a split second, a wrench of 'what-ifs' questions flooded her mind. She winced and pushed the thoughts away once more. _There's nothing you can do now, Diana. Just be a big girl and enjoy life._

"Auntie…"

Diana felt her dress tugged. She looked down and saw Little Helena leaning against her legs. Smiling, she lifted the little girl and placed her on her lap. She started to hum for the little angel who had already eaten her cake and now started to feel sleepy. Helena opened her green eyes and looked at Diana.

"Aunt Diana…Sing me _Beauty and the Beast_."

"Alright," Diana started to sing. Halfway through the song, Tom went to the balcony as well and sat next to Diana. Goldie tailed him and sat next to his leg. Tom smiled as he leaned on Diana's shoulder and asked, "Can you sing to me, too?"

"Get in line, Tom," Diana chuckled. She caressed Helena's hair with her cheek. "You like your birthday, sweet munchkin?"

Helena yawned as she answered, "I do. But actually I want another present."

"Don't you have enough present already?" Tom asked with one eyebrow up. "Look at Goldie, for instance."

"I love Goldie…" Helena snuggled at Diana. "But I wan' something else."

"What is it then?" Diana stroked Helena's blonde hair.

"I want a little sister. I asked Mommy to make one for me, but she said she wouldn't do that…"

Diana looked at Helena. "You want a sister? Why?"

"I wanna have a play mate…" Helena replied with another yawn. "But Mommy said that she needed a husband to give me a sister, and now she doesn't have one."

"Perhaps your Mommy might have one, Helena," Diana said thoughtfully. "Someday."

"I hope so…" Helena closed her eyes. Her fingers played with Diana's curls as she spoke, "But maybe you can help me, Auntie Diana…"

"With what?" Diana chuckled. "I'm a woman, Helena, just like your mother. I can't help her having a baby."

"No… I know that." Helena opened her eyes again. "I mean you and –" she gestured to Tom, who was leaning on Diana's shoulder with eyes closed. " – Uncle Tom."

Diana blinked. She felt a strange sensation in her stomach and hoped that Tom didn't notice it. But at the same time, Tom opened his hazel eyes. He looked Diana in the eye as he whispered, "I didn't ask her to say that."

Diana felt her cheeks blushed. "I know that…"

Helena hugged Diana again as she whispered sleepily, "What do you think, Auntie? You can marry Uncle Tom and give me a play friend."

Tom got up without unlocking his gaze with Diana's. "If you ask me, Helena…" he whispered again, "I think that's a good idea…"

-xxx-

Retrospectively, Diana realized that her main reason in marrying Tom was the prospect of a typical happy marriage where she and Tom could spend night after night on the sofa in front of the fireplace with their daughter between them. Little Helena had been the major driving force, for Diana had always envied Selina's luck in having such a beautiful angel of her own. And that day, with Little Helena on her lap, asking her to make a baby sister for her, Diana was again reminded that she had longed for a daughter for so long. She understood too well how her mother, the late Queen Hyppolyta, was initially very reluctant to release her to Man's World. Diana was Hyppolyta's precious sun and stars. Letting go such a beautiful 'baby girl' to a new world would be very hard for a mother, in spite of the fact that the 'baby' was already many years old.

By the same token, having Little Helena on her lap, suddenly Diana also understood Selina's initial hesitation to deliver her baby to the cruel world. But she also had another glimpse of Selina's mind: whatever hardship you had to endure for your child, it was worth it. For holding a child of your own in your embrace and protecting her until she was ready to be on her own was a spiritual adventure not every woman would be able to experience.

Bruce Wayne, a man Diana truly loved and had once imagined fathering her children, was no longer available. Diana's regrets when she broke up with Bruce were not only because of her now inability to become the next Mrs. Wayne. There was also the regret of not being able to deliver him a child of their own – something that she secretly dreamt of. So, when a seemingly random tête-à-tête with Little Helena Kyle took place, her secret desire revealed itself once more, her desire to have a child of her own, someone that required her complete attention, something that she was more than willing to give. It was a desire that Bruce Wayne would not be able to fulfill due to his firm standing position regarding her immortality. Plus, he already had a family of his own, as demonstrated by Bruce leaving the party so soon. In a split second, Diana was reminded with a pang of sadness that her friend and former love was a husband now. His main reason for leaving any gatherings now was Talia, instead of Gotham City.

But at another end of the spectrum, there was Tom Tresser. A man with a golden heart who always stood by her, trying to ease her pain whatever way he could. Despite his flaws, Tom had always been there for her, taking care of her. And despite his occasionally rude demeanor, Tom loved children. Diana only had to look at how Tom cared for Helena to see his love for younglings.

True, Tom Tresser was not Bruce Wayne. Tom did not have Bruce's enigmatic traits or the ability to stun her only with his gaze. But Tom was warm and loving, and as soon as his indifferent mask was lifted off, Diana could see that any woman who married Tom would find a peaceful marriage with him. Deep inside, Tom was a traditional man who longed for a steady life with family.

And that night, looking alternately at Tom and Helena, Diana found enough reason to consider Helena's random chatter as a serious future project.

For a while, Diana didn't comment on Helena's idea. She kept embracing the little girl until she slept in her arms and Selina came to take her daughter to her room. Then, Diana looked back at Tom, who had been looking at her brazenly all the time.

"Perhaps… it _is_ a good idea…" she whispered.

Tom blinked. "Sorry… I must have misheard." He leaned over. "What did you say again?"

"I say…" Diana cleared her throat and fixed her position. "I think Helena's idea of having another play mate is a good idea."

"Yes?" Tom looked into her.

She looked back at his hazel eyes. "But you know…there are several processes to attend to first."

Tom pursed his lips and remained silent for a while. "I think I know what you mean," he finally said. "And though I might humiliate myself for making the wrong move here, I think I need to take the chance. _Devoutly to be wished._"

Diana smiled as she recognized a line from _Hamlet_. Tom sat up straight and looked at the raven-haired beauty next to him.

"Diana, Little Helena said something that I've thought of a lot recently, but I didn't dare to spill it out, because… well… You might object." He smiled shyly. "But tonight…Tonight I don't sense any possible objection from you. So… bearing in mind that I love kids, and I really want to have some kids with you… I also want you to know that I wanna marry you not because of any kids." He looked at her warmly. "But because I love you."

Diana blinked. "The short version, please?"

Tom Tresser sighed. "You really have to make it harder, dontcha?" He went on his knees. "Diana of Themyscira, Diana Prince, or whoever you are…"

"_What's in a name?_" Diana teased Tom with another Shakespeare quote before he got the chance. He smirked and took her hands.

"Will you marry me?"

"Do you have to make it that long?"

Tom glared at her. "Just yes or no, Lady. I don't like kneeling."

Diana chuckled. Then she looked at Tom in the eye. In a flash, she saw herself as a baby, craddled by her mother Queen Hyppolyta. She saw Bruce coming into her life, loving her, and going – leaving her. Then she saw her first meeting with Tom, and their subsequent interactions afterwards. She remembered what Little Helena had said just now. She found herself longing for a secure relationship and a family of her own. Then, Diana found herself whisper, "Yes, I think I will."

Despite his tripled heart beat, Tom still wanted to play around. He tilted his head and went, "Will what, Princess?"

Diana blinked again and two teardrops fell on her lap. She got up and ushered Tom to get up as well. "Yes, I want to marry you."

Instead of jumping all around, Tom suddenly was quiet. "Really?" He finally asked again. "No kidding?"

Diana smiled as she wiped her tears. "I don't think I'm capable of lying."

"Good. Perfect." Gingerly, Tom traced Diana's nose line and slowly kissed her. She kissed him back, only stopped a few minutes later as Donna walked into the balcony.

"Oh, sorry, guys…" she stopped to see the couple kissing. "Uhm… Selina wants to know if anyone wants some wine."

"Sure," Tom still locked gaze with Diana. "In fact, I feel like celebrating tonight."

"Really?" Sensing something important happening, Donna arched her eyebrow. "For what?"

Tom gazed at Donna with a bright smile. "I'm going to marry your sister."

-xxx-

_Russia, Sunday night_

Talia Al-Ghul Wayne tried to open her eyes, but they were so heavy, as if lined with lead. She felt so tired and wanted to sleep again. She moved one arm slightly and accidentally touched her body. She gasped and snapped her eyes open. She was totally naked.

Disoriented, she pushed herself up with one hand. She looked around to find herself in such a gruesome cave-like room. She looked down and realized that she was laying on a bridge-like construct, hanging a few feet above an inferno. Feeling the sudden familiar panic attack within her, she gulped and sprang to her feet, trying to run away.

Immediately, she lost her balance and crouched down again. Panting, she attempted to relax herself, but to no avail. From one of the dark corners of the room, she heard devious laughter. Her face contorted in horror as she registered the owner of the laughter. She felt numb as she whispered,

"Nyssa…"

The next sound she heard was several bangs of a Magnum. The next thing she felt was the piercing pain entering her body. She felt nothing as her sister lifted her naked body and threw her towards the inferno below.

-TBC-

_Author's note:_

_Okay. Some of you might think that Diana's reasons to marry Tom were lame. It's okay. Just drop me a review and let me know what you think. _

_Re Hilda Boswell: a few weeks ago I remembered a very lovely story book of my childhood. After a painful internet search, I remembered the title: 'Hilda Boswell's Treasury of Children's Stories'. It has Charles Dicken's 'David Copperfield', Charles Kingsley's 'Water Babies', and Mary de Morgan's 'Through the Fire'. Also some stories such as excerpts from Heidi and Lucy in Narnia. A vintage, a real treasure. Recommended for anyone with kids. I then ordered it from a second hand bookstore in Australia, but eBay also has it. _

_Next: Bruce Wayne versus… Oh, well. Just remember Clark Kent and Richard White._


	14. Fire

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Ch 14: Someone visited Bruce in the office. Not really an expected guest at all. _

_Thanks so much to my readers for their review and encouragement and to A Little Summer Wine for the superb beta as always. I don't own DC or its characters. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 14. Fire**

_Tuscany, Monday morning_

"Alberto! Dio! Alberto, wake up!"

Maria's screech brought the dizzy Alberto back from his sleep. _Wake up? Wait a minute…_

Alberto reached to touch his forehead and found a damp flannel perched on it. He frowned. He did not remember sleeping with the fabric on his forehead. Instead, he recalled…

"Madam Talia!" he literally jumped out of his bed. His vertigo took over as he saw lots of imaginary fireflies flying around him. "Ouch!" He slumped back on his bed.

"Careful, old man!" Maria tsk-ed her husband. "You got a bump on your head. Madam said that you slipped and she found you in the kitchen." She took Alberto's flannel, dipped it into a bowl of cold water, and placed it back on his forehead.

"Madam?" Alberto held the cold flannel. He sighed and closed his eyes. "I slipped?"

"That's what she said in the letter," Maria waved a piece of paper in front of Alberto. "Funny. I didn't recall she mentioned a plan to return to Gotham last night."

Alberto fluttered his eyes open. "Return to Gotham? What are you talking about?"

"This." Maria shoved the paper in front of Alberto's nose. "Read it. It said that she received an emergency call last night that she had to return to Gotham. When she went down to wake you up, she found you lying unconscious in the kitchen. _Probably slipped_, she said."

"Probably slipped…" Alberto closed his eyes once more. It didn't make any sense. "I didn't slip."

"Yeah?" Maria sat down on the bed next to her husband. "Then what?"

"I…" Alberto frowned as he remembered hearing some noises from the kitchen. He had checked it out then, to find several shadows on the kitchen. He had asked then, but received no answered. Instead, his surroundings had gone black in an instant.

"Someone hit me," he fluttered his eyes open. "There were some robbers in the house last night."

"Yeah… right…" Maria rolled her eyes. "And Madam was kidnapped, instead of going back to Gotham on her own."

Alberto studied the letter Maria gave him. It was Talia's hand writing alright. In the letter, she explained how she found Alberto unconscious, but because of the emergency situation of her own, she had no choice but to place Alberto on his bedroom then packed and went back to Gotham. She also told him not to call, as she would be too busy to receive any calls. She might return to Piazza d'Talia, though, in a few days time.

"The letter sounds weird," he commented afterwards.

"What weird?" Maria shrugged. "It's her handwriting alright. She also left some money as usual for us, and brought all her things back with her. Well, she left some of her clothes, but that's what she usually did anyway." Maria took the flannel and dipped it once more to the bowl. "Nothing strange to me."

Alberto grunted. "Perhaps we should wait for a few days and call her then."

"If you must," his wife shrugged again. She placed the damp fabric back to Alberto's forehead. "So. Do you want to have a piece of my sister's bread, or not?"

-xxx-

A few hours later, the City of Gotham buzzed in her usual Monday traffic. Bruce Wayne emerged from his Limousine, thanked Alfred Pennyworth, who was returning to the Manor, and went inside the Wayne Tower. He reached the top floor, nodded to Patricia Cornwell and entered his office. Bruce was browsing through his emails when Patricia knocked and entered with a cup of coffee, some cookies, and Lucius Fox with his usual energetic morning demeanor.

"Morning, Bruce," said the senior CEO of the Wayne Enterprises as he sat across the table from Bruce.

"Morning," Bruce nodded to Patricia and asked, "Another cup for you, Lucius?"

"Nah, don't bother," Lucius waved his hand. "I'm just here a few minutes."

"Alright, Mr. Fox," Patricia nodded and excused herself. Bruce waited until his secretary closed the door before asking,

"What's up?"

Lucius studied his employer for a while before folding his fingers in front of him. "The Wayne Foundation, Bruce. Christina has some projects with Talia, and she hasn't been getting proper feedback as of late. Considering…" Lucius straightened up, " – that your wife has not been present for more than a week."

"She's in Tuscany," Bruce sipped his coffee casually. He hoped that Lucius wouldn't notice his split second tension upon the mention of Talia, but he knew better. "I told you that already."

"Yes, you did, Bruce." Lucius still eyed him. "But Talia is also out of communication, and this is starting to bother Christina."

Bruce pursed his lips. Slowly, he put down his cup. "What is your suggestion?"

Lucius cast his eyes heavenwards. "Don't ask me, Bruce. Talia is not my wife." He then looked at Bruce again and sighed. "Look… I'm sorry to bring this up, Bruce. Really. But…as Talia is a staff of the Wayne Foundation, I need her to keep pace with Christina." Lucius took off his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Forgive me for asking this. But…is there something happening between you and Talia? Things that might hinder the company's performance?"

"I will let nothing hinder the Enterprise's performance, Lucius. You know that." Bruce clenched his jaws. "Nothing."

Lucius Fox kept studying Bruce Wayne for a while. Though Bruce was officially his employer, Lucius had known him long enough to be like a father to the younger man. "I know that, Bruce. Don't get me wrong. It's just…" he sighed and placed his glasses back. "Look. My wife and I also got trapped into prolonged disagreements over the course of our marriage. And it happened quite often, you know. But we always found a way to get around it, to solve it."

Bruce didn't make any comment. Instead, he took another sip of coffee and fidgeted with the china for awhile. Lucius got up and fixed his tie.

"Well… that's what marriage is about, Bruce. Finding ways to get around problems." The old executive director smiled. "I'm sure you will find a way, Bruce."

Bruce opened his mouth to speak, but thought better off it. He nodded as Lucius walked out of his office after saying, "Meet you for lunch?" Then, he buried his head in his hands and groaned.

"Solve the problems. Yeah, right…"

-xxx-

Bruce worked for another hour before joining a meeting before lunch. The meeting went until 12:15, and at the time he returned to his office, Patricia handed him a note.

"Mr. Fox has an emergency meeting at the moment, Mr. Wayne. He said if you would like to wait for him, you can have lunch with him at 1:30. If not, he would understand."

Bruce studied Lucius' notes on the post-it, glanced at the clock above Patricia's desk, and nodded. "That's alright. I can wait."

The billionaire then walked into his office and opened up his laptop. His mind wandered at his nocturnal activities, especially on the fact that Robin and Batgirl had indeed found a scimitar last night. A scimitar, or a curved Middle East sword, was not a common weapon used by Gotham thugs. Either it was a weapon of the Intergang that was found by a Gotham thug, or a weapon of the League of Assassins that somehow got into the hand of a common thug. Or that Intergang or League of Assassins was operating again in Gotham last night. Talia had forbidden the League of Assassins's activities in Gotham, so unless Ubu wanted to ignore his former mistress' order, it was unlikely that the LA would be operating in this city. _Unless… _Bruce thought grimly, _Nyssa found a way to live again and took over the League._

Another 'nicer' option was the Intergang, and it meant contacting Black Adam or the Kahndaq Embassy. Bruce was considering using his secure line to contact Teth Adam himself or Isis at the Embassy when Patricia buzzed in through the intercom.

"Mr. Wayne, a Mr. Clark Kent is here to see you."

Bruce raised one eyebrow. _Clark? Here without a proper notice? _He shook his head. "I don't recall an appointment with him, Pat." Strange, usually Clark would call first. In fact, Clark would normally just use the Justice League _commlink_ instead of the traditional phone line.

"He said that it was an emergency; an interview for the Daily Planet tomorrow."

Bruce frowned as he switched on the videocom that linked him to Patricia's desk. It was Clark alright, all with his glasses, bending a bit as Clark Kent would usually do.

"Clark?" he buzzed into the intercom.

"Yeah, hey, Bruce…" Clark flashed his dopey grin as he looked at the videocom. "I…um… Perry White has me doing an interview about the Wonder Woman Foundation, and also some people usually connected with it. So, that's you, of course." Clark rubbed his nose and fixed his too-large glasses. "So, I understand that you're busy. But maybe just a fifteen minutes interview?"

"You could've called." Something was not right, but Bruce couldn't pinpoint it and that annoyed him.

"Yeah… sorry," that dopey grin again.

Bruce shrugged. It was almost an hour before his lunch with Lucius, anyway. He nodded to the videocom.

"Send him in, Patricia."

Patricia ushered Clark in. The Daily Planet reporter entered Bruce's office with his trademark clumsiness and flashed another 'Hi Bruce' as Patricia left them.

"Some interviews, indeed…" Bruce rubbed his nose as he signaled Clark to sit on one of the chairs next to the bar. "So, what are you really doing here?"

Clark sat and rubbed his nose again. "Nothing, really. Just an interview."

"Look, I'm a bit busy, Clark," Bruce sat down in front of his old friend. "So unless you want to help me with the trade with Kahndaq, you might wanna speak up now."

Bruce and Clark had made a deal to never speak openly in public (including at the Wayne Tower) about their vigilante activities. Yet, Bruce had mentioned Kahndaq to give Clark a hint that he was working on something Bat-related instead of Wayne-related. Usually Clark would let Bruce doing his Bat-works undisturbed.

"Kahndaq?" Clark's blue eyes looked at him. "Ah… yes. Of course. Well…" he rubbed his hands. "I'll be quick then."

Bruce nodded. "Good."

"For a start…" Clark leaned forwards. Bruce noticed that he didn't take out his notes (Clark was obnoxious with hi-tech gadgets for his reporting works). "What do you think of Wonder Woman's wedding cancellation?"

Bruce blinked. He stared at his friend for a while before saying, "Clark. That was more than a week ago. And this is for an interview?"

Clark looked at him. "Yes, I know that. And no, actually, this is not a formal interview."

Bruce squinted. "Why am I not surprised?"

Clark shrugged again. "So, what say you?"

Bruce leaned back on his chair. "You called me the day she cancelled the wedding, Clark. And if my memory serves me right, you called again after I took a walk in the park with her the same day."

Clark blinked and, to Bruce's surprise, seemed to be taken aback. "You walked with her in the park that day?"

"Yes, I…" Bruce stopped and leaned forward. "I've told you that already, Clark."

Clark seemed to remember that. He blinked and gave a chortle. "Why…yes. How could I forget? Perhaps because this is about Wonder Woman. So…" he cleared his throat, "You think she did that on her own volition?"

"We have discussed –" Bruce stopped again. He and Clark did talk after he walked with Diana in the East River Park. Clark had asked him if she told him the real reason behind her cancellation (of which he couldn't answer, of course), and if she was alright. But never had Clark wondered if she was under mind-control or not. After all, many people had deduced that Wonder Woman would be impervious to mind-control thanks to her Lasso of Truth.

Bruce's mind to try and determine who the impostor of Clark Kent was, who was sitting in front of him. The first conclusion was that Clark was just forgetful. But that simply wasn't the real Clark Kent. Clumsy he was, but he was never forgetful. How about Martian Manhunter? But, for what reason?

_J'onn…_ Bruce called J'onn J'onzz telepathically.

_Batman? _The deep clear voice of Martian Manhunter buzzed inside Bruce's mind.

_Checking for status. Your position?_

_At the Moon, of course. Things are rather slow today. Anything else?_

_Just a check, J'onn. Thanks. _

"Bruce?" Clark narrowed his eyes. "Are you okay?"

Bruce looked up and smiled. "Yeah… just a bit tired. Say…" he locked his hands behind his head and leaned back on the couch. "How's Lois?"

"Oh? Fine…she's fine…"

"Still taking Krypto to the park as usual?"

Clark smiled. "Of course. Naturally."

Bruce chuckled and closed his eyes. "Do tell her that I'm sorry that I forgot her birthday yesterday, Clark. I will bring her a present later on."

Clark nodded. "Sure."

"Does she know that someone is impersonating her husband right now?"

Clark frowned. "What?"

Bruce opened his eyes and looked Clark straight in the eye. "You're not Clark Kent, Mister. But something tells me that you didn't kill the real Clark to get here. So –" Bruce leaned forward, "why don't you tell me why you're here, Nemesis?"

Clark didn't budge at all. He didn't even blink as he looked back at Bruce. Then, slowly, he reached for his collar. He pressed a small button inside the collar; a greenish gas puffed out of the button and covered his face. Casually, he rubbed his face all around, took off his faux hair and glasses, and revealed himself as Tom Tresser, the hero known as Nemesis.

"Nice deduction, Bruce Wayne," Tom smirked. "Not bad at all for a dumb playboy."

-xxx-

Even while he was dating Diana, Tom Tresser could not dismiss the thought that his girlfriend still cared for Bruce Wayne. As weird as it sounded, Wonder Woman still showed some affection for the billionaire playboy whenever they met at charities, which Tom also attended. Every time Tom asked about it, Diana just smiled and went, "It's ancient history, Tom. We're friends now. Can't I be nice to a friend?"

And Wonder Woman doesn't lie. Thus, Tom could not do anything but push his jealousy away. Anyway, they rarely encountered Bruce outside of the charity events. The only time they had met Bruce outside of a gala dinner was during Little Helena's birthday, where (to Tom's benefit) Bruce suddenly had to leave soon. It wasn't that Tom had anything to complain about, really. Heh. He had proposed to Diana later the night anyway, and she had said yes. Things had been so beautiful then.

Except that his vision of marrying the woman of his dreams had crashed as Diana went to his house a few days ago, telling him that the wedding was off. Enraged, Tom could only think of one thing: someone talked Diana into it. And the only person bold enough to do so was none other than Bruce Wayne.

But Tom had seen no evidence of Bruce's fingerprints on Diana's wedding cancellation. At least until last Friday, as he happened to read a gossip column in a small New York bulletin that spoke of Diana of Themyscira having lunch with Bruce Wayne in Riverside Park the day before. Originally, he didn't want to believe it. But instinct took over, and he found himself questioning the reporter in such a manner that the poor reporter thought that Diana having lunch with the CEO of Wayne Enterprises was a matter of national security.

After receiving confirmation from the reporter, Tom pondered the virtue of ransacking Bruce at his Wayne Manor or even in his office. What argument did he have anyway? That Bruce Wayne flirted with Diana? The reporter, who happened to be having lunch at the park as well, said that both celebrities were having a very casual and friendly dinner. No kissing, no loving-embrace. _But what did that dude know? For all I know, Bruce could say anything to Diana discreetly that had made her cancel the wedding. That damned playboy!_

Tom thought about his choices over the weekend. He then decided to come to the Wayne Enterprise the next morning, try out his luck. He had lost Diana anyway. A punch on the billionaire's nose might make up for it. Yet, Tom realized that Bruce might not want to see him if he dressed up as a DMA agent. Hence, him impersonating Clark Kent, a Daily Planet reporter Tom knew had a sort of comradeship with Bruce Wayne.

The fact that Bruce would be able to deduce his disguise so soon was not something he had calculated on. Yet, _what the heck! I'm here already anyway. Might as well punch him at the nose right now. _

So, as he took off his blue eye contact, he looked at Bruce with a smirk. "Nice deduction, Bruce Wayne. Not bad at all for a dumb playboy."

Bruce clenched his jaws to see the revealed Nemesis. "I'm not a dumb. Lois Lane is my good friend, and her birthday is months from now. Plus, she hates Krypto." He folded his hands and continued drilling into Tom's hazel eyes. "And I'm definitely not a playboy."

"Right," Nemesis snorted and took off his tie. "Says someone who flirts with my wife."

"Diana is not your wife, Mr. Tresser."

Nemesis slapped his tie on the table. "She would be right now if you hadn't flirted with her!"

Bruce's blue eyes drilled into Tom's hazel eyes. Then the billionaire got up and coldly said, "I. Did. Not. Flirt. With. Diana."

"Right," Tom also got up. Bruce was taller than him about two inches, but he didn't feel intimidated at all. "You only took her for a walk the day she cancelled her wedding. Also last Thursday."

"She needed someone to talk to." Bruce didn't unlock his gaze from the agitated man in front of him.

"Right. To you, of all people."

Bruce smirked. "I obviously had some advantages, in addition to my charm."

Tom squinted. "You have a wife, Mr. Wayne. Her name is Talia."

"That is not your business, Mr. Tresser."

Nemesis clenched his jaws and hands. "Are you saying that you've disregarded the fact that you're married, and you're targeting Diana as well?"

"My relationship with Diana is none of your concern, Nemesis."

"You bet the hell it is," Nemesis hissed. "Especially because you're never there to soothe her pain. In fact – " he stepped closer to Bruce, eyes squinted, emanating hatred, "You were always there to hurt her. Until I –" he poked his own chest, " – came along and she let me tend to her wounds. Until I –" he jabbed his chest again, " – came to wipe her tears away!"

Bruce also narrowed his eyes. If they were Kryptonians, they would have burnt each other by now. "I never tried to hurt Diana."

"Right!" Tom barked at Bruce. "You attempted to take her virginity away, and when she objected, you dumped her. That's your definition – " Tom jabbed Bruce's chest, " – of not hurting her. Oh –" Tom raised one hand for an afterthought, "And you kissed your wife in front of her, in public no less! Not hurting her, my ass!"

"Enough!" Bruce yelled. "I never violated her decisions or her person!"

"Oh yeah?!" Nemesis also increased the volume of his tone. "Like trying to rape her and dumped her when she was too strong to be subdued?!" Tom jabbed his finger once more at Bruce, "And you're saying that you're not a playboy!"

Bruce raised one hand to stop Nemesis. "I said enough! I never tried to rape her! I never tried to hurt her!"

"You tried to bed her!" Tom yelled on top of his lung.

"Yes, I did!" Bruce also yelled, finally losing control. "And if things were different, I would be married to her right now!"

The next thing either of them could remember was Tom throwing a right upper cut at Bruce's jaw, sending the CEO of the Wayne Enterprises crashing into one of the bar stools.

"Don't talk about my girlfriend like that," roared the Nemesis.

-xxx-

Upon detecting a commotion inside her boss's office, Patricia Cornwell ran into Bruce's office. She gasped as she saw her supervisor lying next to a bar stool, trickles of blood running from his nose down his left cheek bone.

"Mr. Wayne!" Pat shrieked. "What happened?!"

She then realized that Mr. Clark Kent was not there anymore. Instead, a blond man, wearing Mr. Kent's clothes, stood in front of Bruce Wayne, breathing shortly, almost panting, as if trying to control his anger.

"Where's Mr. Kent? My God…" Patricia blinked. "Mr. Wayne, I will call security."

"Patricia, don't!" Bruce raised his hand. "It's a small matter between us. Just leave us alone, please."

"Small?!" Pat squeaked. "Your nose is bleeding, Mr. Wayne. At least let me tend to your wounds."

Bruce waved his hand and shook his head. "It's nothing, really. Please go, Patricia."

Pat blinked in disbelief. "But…" she still tried to protest.

"Please. Leave." Bruce reached for his handkerchief and pressed it against his left cheek bone. "It's alright." Which was pretty true anyway, considering the wounds and scars he usually experienced during his night patrols as the Batman.

Patricia blinked again then gave in. "Alright, Mr. Wayne. But another commotion like this and I will drag this gentleman away." She shot a dirty look at Nemesis. "And I suggest you put some ice on your nose, Sir. The bleeding looks pretty bad."

"Thank you, Pat," Bruce nodded as his PA walked away and closed the door. Then he turned his attention to Nemesis once more.

He was standing still in front of Bruce Wayne, controlling his breath and anger. But not only that, Nemesis was looking at him with disbelief, as if seeing a ghost coming alive.

"No way…" Tom whispered. "It can't be…"

"What cannot be?" Annoyed, Bruce kept pressing his cheek with his handkerchief. It was really a small wound compared to what he usually experienced. He just didn't know what else to say. To him, Nemesis's accusation that Bruce Wayne took Diana away from her wedding was as true as it could get. And thus, Bruce had no desire whatsoever to punch Nemesis back.

"You…" Tom stumbled to sit on the chair. "You…are the Batman."

Bruce opened his mouth to make his usual 'what-are-you-talking-about' denial, but he met Tom's hazel eyes in the process. Still eyeing him with disbelief, Nemesis whispered,

"_Lord, what fools these mortals be!"_

Bruce went silent not because he recognized Puck's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' line spoken by the Nemesis. Instead, he was quiet because he recognized hurt and betrayal on Tom's face.

The billionaire sat down and closed his eyes desperately. It seemed that he did need ice as Patricia mentioned earlier.

-TBC-

_Author's note:_

_Okay guys… how do you like this? Personally, I love both Batman and Nemesis, and almost can't wait to write their banters and clashes. _

_Next: Still on those gorgeous boys…_

_Oh, Lavender Gaea and Summer Wine thought that I should pair Nemesis and the Cat Lady (ehmm…) together. Never thought of it… but it's an interesting proposal. What do you guys think?_


	15. The Bat and the Nemesis

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Ch 15: Clash of Bats and the Nemesis. _

_Thanks so much to my readers for their review and encouragement and to A Little Summer Wine for the great beta (amidst her very busy schedule and hectic life!) I don't own DC or its characters. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 15. The Bat and the Nemesis**

For Tom Tresser, Batman was a role model in the cruel world of the vigilante. Once, the Caped Crusader had stepped in to help young Tom balancing the scale of Craig Tresser's murder case. Craig had been set up to kill Ben Marshall, a father-figure for the Tresser brothers, also the supervisor of the Tressers at the FBI. It turned out that Craig's unusual behavior had been orchestrated by the Council, an underground crime syndicate. Craig later had been killed by the Council to avoid an information leak. Desperately trying to balance the scales of justice, Tom left his relaxed life as a Shakespearean actor and a part-time FBI agent and became Nemesis, the angel of justice. Adopting a scale of justice as his symbol, Nemesis tracked down the Council and put down the Council members one by one. Aware that he might not be able to take total revenge on his own, Nemesis teamed up with the Batman, who had gladly helped him in clearing up Craig's name. In the end, the real master-mind behind Ben Marshall's murder, a weird Council leader called The Head, was terminated. Eventually, Craig Tresser's name was restored and Marjorie Marshall (Ben's widow) received justice for her husband.

Nemesis ended up becoming a full time vigilante, and occasionally also re-teamed up with the Batman on several occasions. Once they had fought the last Council member. Irene Scarfield, Bloodclaw, and a group of Middle-Eastern terrorist. The battled ended up in a tragic helicopter explosion over the Potomac River that, to Batman's grief, seemingly killed Nemesis. Yet, it turned out that Tom was saved by the G-Men Squad with the help of Rick Flagg and Amanda Waller. To thank them, Tom had agreed to join the Suicide Squad, which had brought him later to Moscow. Later on, the same mission had ended him in Gulag (still the USSR's at that time, instead of Russia's), which might have taken his life had Batman not intervened once more. Nemesis had realized that he and Batman had formed a camaraderie of sorts, but he had not learned until later on that Batman had actually quit the Justice League for a while upon their refusal to save Nemesis, under the justification that it had – at that time – fallen outside JLA's jurisdiction. Batman had later rejoined the Justice League, but Nemesis had owed him so much, he was willing to sacrifice his life to save the Dark Knight should the need arise.

Yet, years later, Tom never thought that he had to 'pay his debt' with his wedding plan. Of course he knew that Diana had dated Bruce Wayne once. He also had a feeling that somehow the billionaire playboy would not give up Wonder Woman so easily, despite the fact that he had married Talia Al-Ghul. But Tom had never realized that Bruce Wayne was also the vigilante Batman who had teamed up with him on several life and death occasions. Tom couldn't possibly have known that the Batman, who had stayed up with him all night long outside the Justice League infirmary watching over Diana, was also the billionaire Bruce Wayne who had broken the heart of the woman they both loved. Anyway, how could he know? Batman had always been famous for his distance demeanor and curt replies. How could Nemesis guess that Batman had been jealous of him at that time? Not that he would pay attention anyway. He had been too busy thinking and praying for Diana.

However, once during their last mission in Moscow, Batman had received a blow on his left cheek and had experienced a minor wound on his nose, lips, and cheek as he had just now at Wayne Tower. Nemesis had come to check on Batman's wound, but the Dark Knight dismissed it as it was really a minor wound. At that time, Batman's concern had been on how they would be able to leave the Gulag safely. Nemesis had subconsciously memorized that scene, the way the blood trickled down Batman's face and his grim demeanor, thinking constantly of the best way to get Nemesis out of the enemy's territory. Tom had been touched by the unspoken friendship and loyalty displayed by the Batman.

At the Wayne Tower, the exact scene flashed back into his mind as Tom saw Bruce Wayne rise from the floor, pressing his handkerchief over his cheek bone. The hankie had covered the upper part of Bruce's face, leaving only his clenched square jaw. And as Bruce talked Patricia out of the office, Tom suddenly remembered the exact grim emergency tone Batman had used when he tried to free Nemesis out of Gulag those years ago in Moscow. The same tone, the same covered face, the same trickled blood… all suddenly felt into places. At that time, Bruce Wayne's demeanor was the exact copy of Batman's during several crises they had faced together.

Part of Tom's brain still denied the sudden realization, but he knew better than to doubt his instincts. Of all the unidentified vigilantes, Batman had been on the DMA top list. The DMA only knew that the Dark Knight lived in Gotham, and he had to be very rich or had a strong financial back up to finance his expensive vigilante business. Although Bruce Wayne had been originally on the list, his name had been crossed out as the DMA scrutinized the playboy's behaviors. _An airhead playboy like him couldn't possibly be the famous Batman,_ Sarge Steel had argued.

_Well, Sarge, you're wrong, _Tom grimly thought as he watched Bruce pressing his wound._ You never saw Bruce Wayne in crisis. I have. I am now, actually. And he definitely doesn't look like an airhead playboy. _

"You…" Tom stumbled to sit on the chair. "You…are the Batman."

Nemesis had half-expected to listen to Bruce's denials – he would like to see if the denial was sound and that he had to dismiss his crazy hypothesis. Yet, the billionaire said nothing. His deep blue eyes just drilled into Tom's. Tom's heart sank as he saw that Bruce didn't say anything, let alone reject his controversial statement.

"_Lord, what fools these mortals be!"_

Bruce closed his eyes as he sat down. Watching the billionaire lolling his head on the couch, Nemesis felt his heart sinking deeper. Bruce was indeed the Batman. He had some chances to deny Tom's statement, but he didn't. More over, Tom caught a slight of remorse on Bruce's expression. A regret that he had to do something that hurt his friend. Bruce might think that it was appropriate for him to talk Diana into canceling the wedding. But deep down, Tom realized that Bruce also regretted that he had to hurt the Nemesis, his old comrade.

-xxx-

Both Bruce and Tom sat for a few minutes without uttering a word. Tom only stared at the glass table; Bruce was examining the blood on his handkerchief. Tom was the first to break the silence.

"Why did you do it?"

Slowly, Bruce looked at Tom. Tom's mussed blond fauxhawk was messier than ever, his golden hazel eyes clearly emanated hurt and betrayal.

"Why did you have to talk Diana out of the wedding?"

Bruce didn't say anything. Instead, he got up and went to the bar to get some ice. He didn't need that for his wound; he needed that to calm himself. As he took out some ice cubes from the icebox, he casually asked, "What makes you think I'm Batman?"

A useless question, actually, for both of them knew that Tom's deduction was correct. Yet, Tom shrugged and answered.

"Your behavior…reminded me of the time back in Russia, in Gulag. You took another blow then, and you looked exactly like now. Plus – " he gestured to his surroundings, "The Batman has to have a rich guy backing him up, financing all his expensive toys. Or, that he has to be very rich himself."

Subtly, Bruce nodded, then wrapped some ice cubes on his handkerchief and pressed it against his cheekbone. Tom spoke again.

"I love Diana, Batman. I love her with all my life. You know that, I'm sure. I would take care of her the way you would never do. I would give my life for her if I have to." Nemesis sighed desperately and buried his head in his hands. "Why does it have to be you, of all people? I respected you. You were my hero."

Bruce remained quite as Tom whispered again.

"Was this how you chose to balance the scale with me?"

Bruce looked up, surprised and hurt. "No. It wasn't."

"Then…why?" Nemesis looked at Bruce, his hazel eyes drilled in a mixture of anger and confusion. "You have a wife and a family already, Batman. You also know that I love Diana more than I love anyone else. Why did you have to destroy it?! What promise did you give her?"

"Nothing." Bruce reached for two empty glasses and filled them with cold water. He brought the glasses to the table and gave one to Nemesis, who didn't take it. Bruce shrugged, placed Tom's glass on the table, and drank his own water. "I promised her nothing."

Tom clenched his jaws. "So I was right. You talked her into abandoning the wedding." He looked up; confusion was now all over his demeanor. "Why, Batman?"

"Bruce, please. Only Bruce Wayne here." Bruce sat down, pressed his hankie over his temple once more, and closed his eyes. Although he had disliked that Diana dated Tom Tresser, Bruce actually admired Nemesis. Advocating Diana to cancel her wedding had been an internal conflict of his own. His head pulsated wildly, mostly because of the emotional clash instead of the physical pain. "I already give you score for deducting my secret ID. But please call me Bruce when I'm not in costume."

Surprised that Batman wasn't even angry at the fact that his secret ID was unveiled just now, Nemesis only nodded. "But you have to answer my questions."

Bruce opened his eyes and looked directly at Tom. "I only told her that her love for you wasn't strong enough to have such an adventurous journey as a marriage."

"What?!" Tom's jaws almost dropped in disbelief. "Are you mad? I thought you of all people had integrity not to destroy someone's marriage!"

"I'm not destroying it." Bruce took his glass and had a gulp of water. "I'm saving her from a false marriage."

Tom still eyed Bruce in askance. "I don't believe this. You, of all people, said that?! And you're already married!"

Bruce studied his glass for a while. He swirled his glass, making the ice cubes clunking with one another, before responding, "Mine's a false marriage, Tom. That's why I could beg Diana not to do that, for I saw similar mistakes she was about to make with the one I already made."

Tom blinked. He finally took his glass and drank the water. "Excuse me?"

Bruce looked him in the eye. "I really should not tell you this. It's a very personal business. But considering that I've already damaged your wedding plans… well… let's just say that some people get married based on weak reasoning." He clenched his jaws. "Mine is a marriage based on such."

Tom blinked again, then snorted. "Okay. I see it now. You plan to leave your wife, and you talked Diana into cancelling her wedding so you can have her."

"That was definitely not my plan."

"Why don't I believe that?"

Bruce shrugged. "It's up to you." He drank the remaining water and put the glass back on the table. "It's true that my wife has left me…But I didn't ask Diana to cancel her wedding – " he looked at Nemesis in the eye, " – your wedding, because I want to marry her instead." He then snorted. "Well… I mean, of course, I wanted to marry her, but things were more complicated then. To me, at least."

"You left her because she didn't want to make love with you," accused Nemesis. "Then you attached yourself to Talia Al-Ghul."

"A year after I broke up with Diana. And I didn't leave Diana because she refused to make love with me."

"Yet – " Tom pointed his finger at Bruce, " – you still kissed Talia in front of her, though you knew she still loved you!"

Bruce looked at Tom in all seriousness. "Talia was drunk. And I admitted that I shouldn't have kissed her back that day, knowing that Diana was there. But…" he shrugged. "The damage was done, and Diana had you."

"Right," Tom snorted. "And you took her back from me."

"I didn't mean that. I simply said to her that her love for you wasn't enough for a marriage."

"That's bullshit."

Bruce studied Tom's hazel eyes. "Diana also loves me, Tom."

Tom clenched his jaws. "That's more bullshit."

"And marrying someone while you were still, or also, in love with another is never good." Bruce averted his gaze and fidgeted with his empty glass. "Take it from me." He looked up and smirked. "Trust me, it's not just more bullshit."

Tom clenched his jaws again. Then he slowly asked, "You said she _also_ loved you?" Upon Bruce's nod, he asked again, "That means that she also loves me?"

Bruce hesitated for a while, then nodded. "Logic presumes that. I know she cares about you."

"With your wife leaving…did you and Diana…" Tom pursed his lips. "Did you guys…"

"We haven't done anything," said Bruce firmly. "It's too complicated to do anything remotely sexual at the moment."

Nemesis didn't respond for a while. Instead, he finished his drink, closed his eyes, and pressed the cold glass on his forehead. "Oh God…" he groaned. "Why does this have to be so complicated…" Then he snapped his eyes open.

"You said that you didn't leave her because she refused to make love with you."

Bruce looked Tom in the eye. "That is correct."

"Why, then? Why did you have to leave her in the first place?"

Though he didn't show it, deep down Bruce was actually very surprised that Diana didn't tell Tom the real reason. And if Diana didn't tell her (ex) boyfriend, what right did he have to tell Tom of the _raison d'etre_? That they broke up because he, the Batman, didn't want to take Diana's immortality, and hence Wonder Woman herself from the world?

Bruce pursed his lips. "I can't tell you that, Tom. It's… it's not my place."

Tom scrutinized Bruce and snorted. "Yeah…right…"

"Trust me. It's better for you to ask Diana herself."

Tom blinked. "I'm not going to see her."

Bruce studied him. "She's worried about you."

"Right!" Tom sneered. "Says someone who took her away from me."

Bruce sighed. "I didn't take her away from you for my own benefit. I didn't even know that my wife would leave me afterwards." He pursed his lips before resuming, "I don't even know now how the story of me and Diana will end."

Tom looked Bruce in the eye. "I don't believe you." He got up. "You're just full of shit. Not exactly the Batman that I used to look up to."

Bruce watched Tom walking to the door. He clenched his jaws before saying, "Tom, wait. It's not that simple."

Tom turned to see Bruce Wayne got up and walked to him. "Forget it, Bruce. You've balanced the scale perfectly. I owe you nothing now, the way you owe me nothing." He turned the door knob, took a final glance at Bruce, and bitterly said, "We're even."

With that, Tom Tresser left Bruce's office. Bruce groaned and slouched back to the sofa. When Lucius Fox arrived later, Bruce declined his lunch offer. Instead, ignoring Lucius's questions, he packed his bag and went home on his own.

-xxx-

_Washington D.C., Monday night_

The aftermath cacophony of the metahuman battle had finally receded as the paramedics towed their emergency beds away. Tom Tresser watched the last stretcher being carried to the ambulance carrying an unconscious young woman, looking pale, but otherwise safe. A tall dark-haired woman accompanied her until the ambulance took off for further medical treatment. She squinted, then abruptly turned on her heels. "Next time –" she reprimanded, " – no DMA on any Checkmate business!"

Tom frowned and was about to make a retort when he felt Sarge Steel tapping his shoulder.

"Easy, Agent Nemesis," the DMA supervisor lighted his cigarette with his steel arm and faced the dark-haired woman. "I don't see why you're so pissed off, Ms. Bordeaux. Everything is okay anyway."

"Okay?" Sasha Bordeaux, the Black Queen of Checkmate, took a step and pointed her slender finger at Sarge Steel. "One of my best agents got shot and you said it was okay?!"

"Mia Tanner got in our way." Sarge shrugged and puffed his cigarette with his right hand this time. "It's a day-to-day business with the metahumans, ma'am, you should know that."

"Right," Sasha hissed. "And unlike my predecessor who didn't care about human value, I care for my agents! Mia wouldn't be down if you hadn't come in the first place. Next time I have DMA in my way again, I will –"

"Relax, Sasha," a voice interrupted from behind. Tom turned to see Mr. Terrific walking to their direction. "These DMA guys were just doing their job, the way we did."

Sasha frowned. "But Mike, Mia got hit!"

"Her own mistake. Now, I don't think that we'll lose her, so there's really nothing to worry about." Mr. Terrific a.k.a. the White King of Checkmate touched the Black Queen's shoulder. "Relax. Everything's gonna be fine."

Nemesis watched as Sasha attempted another retort, giving in after a while. He knew that the Black Queen and the White King of the Checkmate had been romantically involved, but he never thought that they would last that long. He was also surprised to learn that Sasha cared a lot for her agents; historical records had it that she had been a ruthless cold-blooded Black Queen for quite some time. Perhaps Michael Holt's love for her finally had an impact. _Good for her._

"Mia Tanner has been taken to the Washington Hospital Center," Tom finally spoke. "I'm sure she'll recover soon."

Sasha looked alternately at him, Sarge Steel, and Mr. Terrific. Finally, she hissed and nodded. "Fine. Sarge, about the Kobra…"

Relieved that the Black Queen wasn't angry anymore, Nemesis slipped away from the small group. Sarge Steel would be able to handle the White King and the Black Queen alone. Good, as Tom had no interest whatsoever at that time to deal with any metahuman politics. The short battle between the Checkmate and a new generation of Kobra just now was an exception he had to follow, but otherwise he was totally not in the mood.

Receiving a cup of coffee from a second-tier DMA agent, Nemesis walked away to the brink of the Potomac tidal basin. Across the river, he could see the beautiful Jefferson Memorial basking in the night light. Above him, the stars glowed brightly, as if paying no attention on the messy battle just now. He glanced again at the Jefferson Memorial, relieved that the beautiful historical monument was spared from the battle tonight, and was struck by a memory.

A month ago he had taken Diana there after setting their wedding date. The beautiful Amazon had looked radiant as they walked in the West Potomac Park. Was it just four weeks ago? Things had been very beautiful then. He had never considered the slightest of the possible turning of that happy tide, or that he would be standing idle tonight across from the Memorial, longing for his beautiful past.

Running his fingers on his fauxhawk hair, Tom could not help but replay the conversation (or clash, more accurately) he had with Bruce Wayne earlier in the afternoon. Even now, he still could not believe that the billionaire playboy was also the Batman that had saved his life several times. But, after hours of intermittent contemplation, he realized that it was very natural that Bruce Wayne was the Batman, considering the billionaire's dark past, his missing years, and his affinity with Wonder Woman. There was no way in hell or heaven a woman like Diana would fall for a womanizer like Bruce Wayne, unless there was something more to it.

_How could I be so blind?_ Tom cursed himself as he drank his coffee. _I'm working with the DMA, and I couldn't see that Bruce Wayne is the Batman?! Worse, that he truly loves Diana?_

Contemplating the lights of the Jefferson Memorial, Tom felt another jolt in his heart. _What if I haven't seen the whole picture up to now? Bruce said that he didn't want to talk about the real reason behind his breaking up with Diana. What if Diana actually had told me instead?_

-xxx-

_Washington, D.C., Thursday, twelve nights ago_

The sun had just set down in the Capital of the United States when Tom Tresser heard a knock on his door. Pausing his activity (of deciding the best place to go for honeymoon – he and Diana had not reached an agreement in that department yet), he went to the door and took a sneak peek from the small lens. He frowned to see the Diana of Themyscira before the door, her white Amazon tunic billowing slightly. This Diana wore no expression of a bride-to-be whatsoever.

"Diana?" Tom slid the chain and opened the door. "How are you, babe?" He planted a quick kiss on her cheek. "I thought you're not returning until tomorrow." Diana had told him earlier that she and her sisters would go to Paradise Island for 'girls' stuff and would not return until Friday morning.

"Well…yes. Change of plan." His bride-to-be smiled nervously and gestured. "May I come in?"

Tom blinked. What with all the courtesy? Yet, he shrugged and ushered his fiancée in. "Sure, come in. In fact, I was about to make some Pad Thai for dinner." Tom knew that Diana, being a vegetarian, loved Pad Thai. He led Diana to the dining room section and asked, "Wine? I have Merlot and Shiraz here."

Diana shook her thick hair. "No, thanks. Umm…fruit juice would do."

Tom eyed her suspiciously. "Sure," he mumbled as he walked to the fridge and poured two glasses of orange juice. He put one glass on the table in front of Diana, who was still standing all the way, and took a gulp himself. Why was he suddenly nervous?

"Diana," he finally said when he could not guess any longer. "What happened? You don't look alright. Everything okay, honey?"

Diana didn't reply immediately. Instead, she fiddled with her glass for a while before taking a huge gulp of the pulpy orange juice. "Errmm… no. Everything's not okay. I mean…yes, of course. Why not?" She then looked up and met Tom's concerned hazel eyes. She trembled as she whispered, "No… it's not okay…"

Red alert went on inside Tom's head. "What's wrong, babe?" He immediately reached out for Diana's hand. "Anyone got hurt? Is Donna alright? Someone attacked the island?" Something that made Diana this nervous would have to do with Themyscira or Donna and Diana's other sisters.

"No…no one got hurt. Everyone's safe and sound…" Diana fidgeted with her juice once more before taking another drink and setting the glass a bit too strongly on the table. "It's the wedding."

Tom frowned. "What about it? You got an emergency that we have to delay it?"

"No…" Diana shook her head again. "Not delaying it, Tom." She looked Tom in the eye. "I need to cancel the wedding."

For a few moments, Tom thought that he had misunderstood his fiancée. Then, laughing half-heartedly, he asked, "What? Canceling?"

Diana nodded. A sudden surge of panic attacked Tom. He whispered, "Why?"

"I made the decision based on the wrong argument," said Diana without a blink. Still, Tom could see that she was sorry that she had to say that.

"What do you mean?" Tom blinked. "I don't get it. What's wrong with our wedding?"

"Nothing's wrong, Tom. Everything was perfect. It's just…" Diana faltered. "I can't marry you based on false reasons."

Tom froze. "You don't love me anymore?"

Diana looked up and shook her head. "No, I still love you. Care a lot for you. I just…" she wavered. "I just can't marry you, that's all."

Tom felt his heart sank. "That's all?" Then, suddenly, a flow of anger flooded in. "What do you mean by 'that's all', lady?! You don't tell me the wedding is off without a good explanation!"

"Believe me, Tom, I _am_ trying," Diana spoke desperately. "Tom, I've thought about this over and over again. I even used my lasso to seek the deepest lies within me. All of them lead to one thing: I can't go through with the wedding." She trembled as she resumed, "I can't marry you, Tom. I'm so sorry…"

Slowly, Tom sat down without unlocking his gaze at Diana. "You've gotta give me a better reason than that."

Diana bit her lips. Usually, Tom would feel his blood simmering in passion at the sight of Wonder Woman biting her lips. But tonight, he only felt confusion, and an emergence of anger.

"Tom…this is…"

"Speak. Diana." Tom's tone was low and dangerous as he tried to control his rage. He was just about to explode, and controlling anger was something that Tom wasn't good at.

Diana sat and looked Tom in the eye. "I love you, Tom. But it turned out that my love for you is not the love of a wife-to-be for her husband-to-be. We won't make it to the husband and wife love. It's just…" She pursed her lips. "I can't picture you as my husband anymore, Tom. I used to be able to do that for the first nights after I accepted your proposal… but not recently."

Tom blinked. "That's it?!" He couldn't believe it. "That's the reason why you cancel the wedding?" Then, as he saw her sitting rigidly, without meeting his gaze, a hunch punched him. "Is this because of Wayne?"

Diana looked up, and after a while, she firmly said, "No. It's not."

Tom didn't buy it. "Did he call and tell you all the lies again?!"

"No, Tom. Don't involve him in this conversation."

Tom rose slowly. "I don't believe you decided this on your own, Diana. Someone talked you into this." He squinted. "Someone very, or who used to be very close to you." He placed his hands on the table and leaned to Diana. "You were okay before you went to the island, Diana. Something happened on the island that changed your mind. Who came there? Superman, Batman, your sisters. I don't think either hero would talk to you about your wedding. Your sisters? I can't imagine. There's only one explanation then –" He straightened up before slapping the table, causing Diana to jump a little " – Bruce Wayne called you and talked you into this!"

Though Diana seemed genuinely sorry to deliver the bad news and was able to take Tom's anger so far, she definitely could not take any man slapping the table in front of her. The Amazon sprang on her feet and shouted, "Tom! Enough! Bruce didn't call me at all!"

Tom looked her in the eye. "Fine. How about you calling the playboy, eh?"

Diana looked back at him. "I did not call the playboy."

Tom narrowed his hazel eyes. "Then, what is it? Why do you have to cancel the wedding?!"

"Because," Diana leaned forward, "I can't see us together in a marriage anymore, Tom. It would be wrong to marry." She paused, as if considering her next words, then resumed. "And there's something that I haven't told you regarding our first nuptial night, Tom. I think I should tell you now, because it would be unfair –"

"No!" Tom raised his hand. "Don't. Because I don't wanna hear the story of you making love with Bruce Wayne, and not with me." He pursed his lips. "Even if it's in the past."

Diana bit her lips. "It's not like that, Tom. It's –"

"I don't wanna hear it!" Tom yelled. "If you don't want to marry me, fine! But don't mention that Wayne guy in front of me!" He stopped to breath and met her eyes in the process. He clenched his jaws.

"Please go, Diana."

Diana blinked. "Tom…"

"Go."

"Tom, would you please let me explain?" She sounded so sorry. But what for? The damage was done anyway, there was nothing she could have said to repair it. Bruce Wayne's fingerprints were clearly all over this situation.

"Just go," he said between gritted teeth. "Before I say or do something I really regret later on."

Diana blinked again. Then she nodded and walked to the window. She didn't even bother to use the normal exit. Instead, she opened the window and flew away. Tom clenched his jaws. He reached for his juice glass and threw it across the room. He knew that Diana's enhanced hearing would pick up the sound of the shattering glass, but he couldn't care less.

-xxx-

Two hours later, Sarge Steel found Tom in a bar downtown, heavily drunk. Sarge got the news of the drunken Tom from an FBI agent who had been at the same bar with Tom. Tapping his agent's shoulder, Steel tried to find out the real reason behind Tom's unusual drunken behavior. His agent couldn't answer him as he was already too drunk to even recognize him. Yet, almost the whole bar knew what happened, for Tom already rattled about Diana leaving him. Sarge Steel managed to drive Tom back to his apartment, but he hadn't realized that a reporter had been in the bar as well. By the time Steel left Tom's apartment, national newspaper editors were buzzing with panic as they sought to change tomorrow's headlines to reflect Wonder Woman's wedding cancellation. Although the headlines were powerful enough to beat other national and international news, Bruce Wayne's name was miraculously not mentioned whatsoever.

-xxx-

_Washington, D.C., Monday night_

Tom Tresser groaned as he realized his mistake. He had missed the fact that although Diana denied Bruce calling her (_Duh! He talked to her as the Batman, not the Bruce Wayne!_), she hadn't directly dismissed the idea that she had talked to someone before canceling the wedding. And actually, Diana had been trying to say something important before he told her to leave. It might not be important now, considering that the wedding had been cancelled anyway. But it might give him a better understanding, instead of being left in the dark without any clue of what actually happened.

He sighed and massaged his nape. His coffee cup was empty. The Checkmate already left the Potomac Tidal Basin. In an attempt to wrap up the night, he searched for his supervisor. He found Sarge Steel standing behind a bush, talking to…

_Shit! What's he doing here?!_

Detecting footsteps, Sarge Steel looked up. He nodded to Agent Nemesis and went, "There you are. He's looking for you."

Nonchalantly, Nemesis shrugged. "What do you want, Batman?"

The Dark Knight had been standing still, his cape slightly billowing in the night river breeze. He nodded. "Agent Nemesis, I need to talk to you."

"Can't imagine why," Nemesis snorted, inviting a questioning glance from Sarge Steel. Steel knew that Batman was one of Nemesis's favorite hero; the DMA agent never talked bad about the Caped Crusader. Perhaps, tonight was the exception.

"I'm afraid I can't," Nemesis continued. "Sarge needs me for the wrap up."

"Not really," Sarge Steel shrugged. "Other agents are helping me anyway. And Sasha has agreed to cooperate." At this, Batman laughed quietly and said "Good news." Steel chuckled too as he nodded to his agent. "You can go with Batman, Tom. Just report back later tonight." At these words, Steel shook Batman's hand and walked away.

Tom folded his hands and scrutinized the Batman. "Alright. What do you want?"

"To talk," was simply the vigilante's answer. "There are things I need to clarify with you."

Nemesis shrugged. "Talk here, then."

Surreptitiously, Batman shook his head. "It's a private talk. I would prefer we take a walk a bit."

It times like these that Nemesis wished that Batman didn't wear opaque lenses, for he couldn't see his opponent's expression. He was tempted to dismiss the request and tell the Dark Knight to go to hell. But curiosity got the better of him. He scrutinized the Caped Crusader before nodding.

"Okay," he dumped his coffee cup at the trash bin nearby. "Let's go."

-TBC-

_Author's note:_

_Some web-based info mentioned that Tom was a Shakespearean actor, or that he used to quote Shakespeare during his work. Some info stated that Tom had been an FBI agent before his brother Craig killed Ben Marshall. So, I deliberately combined the two facts. Also, I wasn't sure if the Batman went to Moscow to save the Nemesis. Logically, he would. The Dark Knight also left the JLA to save Lucius Fox from Baron Bedlam anyway (that led to the first incarnation of the Outsiders)._

_So, you guys still expect a battle between Bats and Nemesis or not?_


	16. In the Dark of the Knight

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Ch 16: Nemesis learns of the raison d'etre behind Bruce and Diana broke up._

_Thanks so much to my readers for their review and encouragement and to A Little Summer Wine for the great beta. I don't own DC or its characters. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 16. In the Dark of the Knight**

_Washington, D.C., Monday night_

Batman and Nemesis were walking along the Potomac River when the latter realized that they were walking in the direction of Lincoln Memorial. He was relieved at that, as he did not want to see West Potomac River at the moment, the very place where he had taken Diana of Themyscira for a walk a few weeks before. Yet, the glittering city light reflected by the river once again reminded him of how much he had given to the Dark Knight years ago, when he almost met his death in the cold river. And now… would he meet his 'mental death' now, once Batman talk about Diana? Whatever it was the Dark Knight wanted to say, it certainly wasn't a joyful news for the Nemesis.

"So, what do you wanna talk about?" Tom Tresser stopped and turned to look at the Batman, who was walking a few steps behind him. "We've been walking for a while now, anyway."

The Caped Crusader also halted his step and looked back at the Nemesis. After several moments of silence, he folded his hands. "What do you think happened to me and Diana before that destroyed our relationship?"

Rather taken aback, Nemesis blinked several times. "I… Uh…What do you mean?"

"Did Diana tell you the reason behind me leaving her?"

Tom clenched his jaws. "Basically she told me that you were a jerk to her because you wanted to sleep with her, and that she didn't want it."

Tom could have sworn that he saw Bruce's icy blue eyes blinked behind the opaque lenses.

"She said that?" It was almost an inaudible whisper from the Batman.

Tom wanted to say 'Hell, duh!", but as he saw Batman's rigid expression, he somehow felt an inexplicable sympathy with the lone vigilante.

"Well… no," he finally muttered. "Not exactly."

"Then what did she say, _exactly_?" The demanding tone of a powerful hero.

Tom gritted his teeth. He didn't like anyone telling him what to do, especially Bruce Wayne, who had taken his girlfriend away a day before their marriage. But… this was the Batman, after all. He had _that_ way of persuading people.

"Well… she did say that you wanted to sleep with her. But…then you guys didn't do that because…" Nemesis folded his hand. "Because she would lose it."

"_It_?" repeated the Batman.

Tom pursed his lips. "Her virginity, of course." He looked at the Batman who was standing in silent, his cape billowing behind him. His totally calm demeanor nagged at Nemesis's heart. Tom drilled his gaze into Batman's opaque lenses. Then, suddenly, the former Shakespearean actor felt his heart sink. He lifted his hands to cover his forehead.

"Oh… God…" Tom looked up again and whispered, "It wasn't it, was it?"

The Caped Crusader tilted his head.

Nemesis studied the grass below his feet. "It wasn't about virginity, was it?"

Batman remained silent for a while. When Nemesis asked again, the Dark Knight shook his head. "No. It wasn't about virginity."

An icy-cold knife seemed to stab Tom Tresser's heart. "Then… what was it?"

Batman didn't say anything. Instead, he looked at the starry night and sighed.

"Batman?!" Tom tried again. "What is it? Why didn't she tell me?"

Tom knew instantly the hurt look behind Batman's opaque lenses.

"She didn't tell you because she didn't want you to run away…" the Gotham vigilante swallowed hard. "…the way I did."

Anger suddenly erupted from within Tom's heart. "But, why, you bastard?! She loves you! Why did you have to run away? What?! She had a disease, or something?!"

"No."

"Then why did you run away?!" Nemesis's tone was one octave higher.

"Because it was complicated," Batman started to hiss.

"What's the complicated thing of bedding a Wonder Woman?!" Nemesis wanted to throw another punch at the Dark Knight. "None, so far as I know!"

"A lot." Batman struggled to remain calm. "You would have done the same thing in my shoes."

Nemesis snorted. "Honestly, I can't imagine that."

Batman pursed his lips. "Oh, trust me. You would. Once you realized that you would kill her after making love with her, you would."

The stabbed knife was sliced slowly through his heart at the words. "What…" Nemesis whispered. "Killing who?"

The Dark Knight clenched his jaws. "When a man deflowers Diana for the first time, he also takes her immortality away with it."

Nemesis blinked.

"And it will decrease the ability of her body to restore her system once she experiences serious injuries," Batman resumed, calmer now. "In the end, she could be dead because of her wound. Because her immortality was taken from her."

Nemesis blinked again. "But how…"

Batman shrugged. "That's just how the magic works with Diana. Also with Donna, her sister."

"But Donna Troy married Dick Grayson."

"Brave couple," nodded the Batman. "I wish I could have spoken to them before I broke up with Diana…"

Tom went dumbstruck again. Then he looked around, trying to find somewhere to sit. As he found no park bench nearby, he sat on the grass in desperation, gazing at the river without even seeing it, his mind on the news he had just received. Batman sat next to him.

"That's why I didn't make love with Diana." It was Bruce Wayne's voice, not the Batman. All the hurts and disappointments from the past were clearly reflected in his voice. "I wanted to. God…" He sighed and lifted his gauntleted hands to cover his mask. "God knows I still want to… But I just couldn't do that to her at that time. I just couldn't..."

Nemesis didn't reply for a long time. When he finally did, he just whispered, "So basically, you left her because you loved her too much to do that." He looked at the Batman. "To take her immortality away from her."

Batman nodded. "I could not do that to her. I just couldn't…"

Nemesis looked back at the glowing Potomac River. "Yeah… I wouldn't do that either, I guess…"

-xxx-

They sat down on the grass in silence, gazing at the river for what seemed to be an eternity before Tom spoke again.

"But you would do that now? Make love to her?"

Bruce pursed his lips. "If I could get a divorce, yes, I would. If not…Diana would not consent to it. And I don't want to violate her."

"You would kill her."

"There are things worse than death. And Diana accepts it whole heartedly. In fact, she desperately tried to tell me that it was okay for us to do that, for she would not want to spend eternity alone, anyway."

"You're not a guy that would end a marriage that easily," Tom tried again. "At least, I thought so."

"My marriage, as I said before, was a false one." Bruce turned to look at Tom's dismayed face. "It's complicated to explain, though perhaps in a way I owe you an explanation. Take it like this: in a nutshell, if I could end my marriage, it would be better for everyone. Even for my wife."

Tom sighed and he muddled his hair. "You disappointed me, you know. You were my hero."

Bruce looked into Tom's hazel eyes. "Yes, I know. I'm sorry it hurt you."

Tom knew Bruce was telling the truth. Looking back at the man who had torn his love life apart, he spoke again. "But now I understand why Diana loves you. Doesn't mean that I agree with her. It's just that I understand." The Nemesis considered his words carefully. "You're… not just an ordinary Dark Knight. Even in the darkest side of you, you had that part that strives to protect everyone you love. Including from yourself, even though it would draw you further to the darkness."

A faint smirk appeared on the stern face. "Thank you. I mean it."

"I know you do." Tom got up and cleaned his black trousers; Bruce followed suit. "One more thing. The Kobra."

"What about it?" Bruce Wayne was Batman again.

"Spoke to Sasha Bordeaux just now about the Kobra. She shared her suspicion that Kobra started to align itself with the League of Assassins now."

Batman clenched his jaws. "League of Assassins has no prominent leader now."

"Says who?" Nemesis tilted his head. "Just because your wife rebelled against her own League of Assassins, doesn't mean that the organization is dead now." He studied the Batman carefully. "Have you heard what happened to Nyssa Raatko?"

The Dark Knight didn't like to find himself in the dark without proper information. "Speak."

"They said Nyssa returned from the dead." Nemesis made to leave. "I'd be very careful if I were you."

Batman nodded. "I bet. Thanks for the tip."

Tom shrugged. "That's what DMA for," was what he said when he turned and walked away.

The Dark Knight watched as Nemesis disappeared in the darkness of the night. The Gotham vigilante himself remained on his spot for another few minutes before reaching for his commlink.

"Oracle."

"_B_." Barbara Gordon's voice was rather annoyed. Batman could hear rustling sound in the background. _Sound of clothes being removed?!_

"I need the latest information of Nyssa Raatko."

"_She's dead."_

"Apparently not. And pronto." He attempted to disconnect the line, but had another thought. "Please."

-xxx-

The Batmobile had just entered the Batcave when Batman detected a presence within his domain. His heart jolted in excitement and he had to stay for another few minutes inside the car to calm his nerve systems. _God… this is… unexpected…_

He finally got out and attempted to maintain a totally cool demeanor as he strolled across the parking lot to his main computer terminal.

"Took you a while to get out of the car," Wonder Woman looked up and smiled. "I thought you would never get out."

"I was…"

The smile lingered. "Yes?"

He looked at her and chuckled. "I didn't expect to see you here tonight."

She locked gaze with him. "I didn't expect to be here tonight either."

"Then why?" He slowly took off his cowl and placed it on the computer console. "Why came at all?"

"You don't want me here?"

"No, that's not the case," he answered abruptly. "You know that's not the case, Diana."

She studied his firm jaws and smiled. "Yes, I know…" She leaned on the console. "I want to say goodbye."

He blinked. "What?"

She kept her smile. "Not _that_ kind of goodbye, Bruce." She swept a lock of her lush raven hair, and Bruce found himself tracing the movement delightfully. "I'm going to Indochina tomorrow afternoon. Golden Triangle, Mekong River. Foundation work."

"Ah, I see…" Relieved, Bruce sat down on the large Batchair and spun the chair to face the beautiful goddess in front of him. "For how long?"

Diana shrugged. "A few days. Four days, at the most. We have some new programs there, so the Foundation needs my input."

He hesitated before blurting out, "I will miss you."

Her azure eyes smiled. "I know." She then bit her lips and confessed, "I will miss you, too."

"Can I call you?"

Her bright smile. "That would be great."

She then leaned to kiss him on the forehead, cupping his head with her hands. As expected, a sudden electricity flux charged them both. He groaned and reached for her, gently pulling her down to kiss her. His other hand traveled slowly downward to caress her silky thighs just below the star-spangled panties. She sighed and arched her back in ecstasy, enjoying the feeling of his gauntleted hand on her skin. Feeling her heat and the reactions that triggered in him, he moaned again. Full of lust this time, he drew her closer to him, closer to his hungry body. Yet, when their lips were an inch close, she blinked.

"Bruce…I…"

She withdrew quickly to prevent other things to happen. Things they wanted so much. He nodded in complete understanding as she stepped out of his embrace. For a moment or two, they gazed at each other with eyes glazed and panting breaths. Then she smiled, closed her eyes for a while, and made to leave.

He called back, "Diana?"

"Yes?" Her look was still a little dazed.

Bruce pursed his lips. "I just… want to inform you that…"

"Yes, Bruce?"

"I…" he embraced himself and spoke up, "I met Tom today."

Her azure eyes couldn't hide her surprise. "When?"

"This morning in Gotham, and also just now in Washington."

She bit her lips. "Did anything bad happen?"

He shook his head. "Not really. We just had… a bit of disagreement." Diana lowered her gaze to scrutinize new wounds on Bruce's lips and cheekbone. When she arched her eyebrows, Bruce muttered, "Not that it was unexpected, anyway."

Diana cast her eyes heavenward and gave a sad smile. Very slowly, Bruce reached for her hands. "I told him the real reason behind our breaking up, Diana." She blinked as he resumed, "Your immortality. He always thought that it was about virginity. He was wrong, obviously."

Diana attempted to withdraw her hands, but Bruce held her still. "You didn't tell him the truth because you were afraid that he might run away like me, weren't you?" It wasn't an accusation. It was a very gentle statement.

She hesitated for a while. "Yes. It was wrong, I know."

He shook his head sullenly. "My mistakes, first and all."

"No, Bruce… don't –"

"Yet, he still had the right to know, Diana." Bruce pursed his lips. "Though it makes me jealous to say this, Tom _is_ a good man. And he should not be left in the dark. Don't you think so?"

Diana blinked again. A silver tear drop fell on her cheek as she whispered, "Yes…"

Bruce got up and smiled. Gently, he kissed her hands. "He might go looking for you then, just to check on you."

She nodded. "I guess it's time for me and him to talk."

He gave her an understanding smile as he gently stroked his knuckles on her cheekbone. "You'll be fine, Diana. You'll be fine…"

-xxx-

After Diana left with a trace of lily of the valley and jasmine, Bruce Wayne sank to his majestic chair and groaned, covering his face with both hands.

"Very nice to see you two getting along, Master Bruce."

Bruce didn't bother to look up as he muttered, "Is that sarcasm, Alfred?"

Alfred Pennyworth walked into the cave with a clearly detectable smile, despite his attempt to hide it.

"Not at all, Sir. Not at all. I am genuinely pleased to see Miss Diana again in this cave."

This time, Bruce looked up to see his surrogate father. "You let her in, didn't you?"

"She knocked on the door politely, so yes, of course I let her in." The butler pursed his lips then added, "She didn't need to do that though. I would have let her in, even though she tried to sneak in."

Bruce found himself intrigued at the thought of Wonder Woman sneaking into the Batcave to ambush him. Not that he would fight, anyway. He opened his mouth to make a comment when his commlink beeped. He raised one eyebrow as he realized who was trying to contact him.

"O, any news?"

"_You betcha,"_ Barbara's voice was all business-like and urgent. _"Nyssa Raatko has indeed returned from dead."_

Bruce cursed inwardly. Immediately, he fixed his position and activated his computer. "Send the data to me."

"_Sending."_

While waiting for Oracle's data to be transferred to his mainframe, Bruce looked up and exchanged look with Alfred. The old English butler looked grim; all his joy during the Diana discourse having evaporated.

"_Got it, B?" _Oracle's voice again after three minutes of silence.

"Received," was Bruce's answer. Swiftly, he opened the files Oracle sent him and studied them.

"_I don't need to remind you to contact Talia, do I?"_

He clenched his jaws. "No, you don't. I'm checking on her now. Thanks, O, B out."

Bruce was about to reach the phone when Alfred held his hand.

"Just a word, Master Bruce," the mild-mannered English butler carefully chose his words. "Don't let your pity and overwhelming sympathy for Miss Talia hide your true feelings to Miss Diana. Not this time." Alfred straightened his pose. "This time, realize that you can still help Miss Talia without marrying her, or to be precise, without maintaining a false relationship with her."

Bruce swallowed hard, then nodded. "Thank you, old man. Go to sleep now."

"Later, sir. Call Italy first."

Knowing that it was useless for him to argue with the persistent Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce shrugged and dialed the number of Piazza d'Talia in Val d'Orcia. Maria Dionni answered with her thick Italian accent.

"_Si, Signore Bruce. You want to talk to Madam Talia?"_ Her voice sounded puzzled. _"But Madam is not here, Sir."_

Bruce frowned. Although he knew that Maria spoke English well, he switched to Italian to convey his message better. "I would like to talk to Talia, please." He added hesitantly, "My wife."

"_Si, Signore. But your wife returned home to Gotham yesterday," _she answered in Italian as well.

"Returned home?" _What are you talking about? _Bruce cursed inwardly. "What exactly did she say?"

"_I don't know Sir. She just left a letter next to Alberto while he was unconscious."_

"Alberto what?!" Red alert went off inside Bruce's head. "I need to speak to him now, Maria. _Favore."_

"_Of course, Signore." _A rustling sound, and this time Alberto was on the other line.

"Alberto, what happened with Talia?" Bruce switched again to English.

"_Sir, she went home to Gotham. At least that was what she said in the letter."_

"You have the letter with you?" All of the sudden, Bruce felt his throat drying up.

"_Yes, Sir. Allow me…"_ Bruce heard the sound of papers flipped before listening to Alberto's voice again. _"Shall I read it, Sir?"_

"Yes, Alberto, please."

Alberto read the letter slowly.

_Dear Alberto and Maria, _

_I am so sorry to leave in such haste, but something came up with my husband in Gotham, so I have to leave tonight. I will return to Tuscany in a few days, so please do not worry so much. Please do not call either; I will be so busy to receive any phone calls. I assure you, everything is alright. _

_Alberto, when I went down to inform you just now, I found you lying on the kitchen floor unconscious. I assumed that you slipped and hit something. I checked on you and I thought nothing bad really happened. So, I moved you to the hut and left this letter. I'm sorry I could not stay to take care of you, Alberto, but I'm sure Maria will arrive soon in the morning anyway._

_Sincerely,_

_Talia Wayne _

Silence for a while before Bruce spoke up again. "You slipped and hit the floor?"

"_Actually, Sir…" Alberto sounded hesitated. _

"Speak, Alberto." Bruce used his Batman tone.

"_That night, sir, Maria stayed overnight in Pienza. Madam Talia went to bed early, and after checking that everything was all right, I went to bed as well. Around midnight, I woke up from noises from the main chateau. I got up and went to the kitchen to check. Then…"_

"Then what, Alberto?" Bruce clenched his jaws.

"_To be honest, I do not remember, sir. I got the impression that there were some people inside the kitchen, so I asked 'Anybody there?' But then, suddenly, everything went black."_

Bruce gritted his teeth. _They hit him! Bastards!_ "But are you alright now?"

"_Well… yes, Sir. I am alright now. Maria is taking good care of me."_

Bruce sighed in relief. "Well, that's good then. Glad that you're okay."

"_But, sir, if you call now, that means that Madam is not there, no? Then, where is she?"_

Bruce pursed his lips. _That's what I wanna know now_. "I think she decided to take a detour, Alberto. Don't worry. I will contact her mobile."

"_Very well, Sir. Give our regards to Madam."_

"Will do. Thank you."

The moment he disconnected the line, Bruce felt the energy being sucked out of his body. He looked at Alfred who had been listening to the conversation, as the phone was set on speaker-mode. The old butler was frowning.

"Something terrible happened to Miss Talia, Master Bruce."

Bruce nodded slowly. "I fear so, Alfred."

"You should find out soon, Sir."

Bruce looked up to the large computer screen where data on Nyssa Raatko were still displayed. "Yes, I know." He sighed and reached for the computer mouse.

"If this makes you better, Sir," Alfred hesitated for a while before resuming, "I am certain that Miss Diana would also tell you the same. To find out what happened to Miss Talia."

Bruce blinked. "Yes, she would. Of course she would."

"I shall leave you alone now, Sir."

Bruce nodded, but before Alfred made to leave, the Bat commlink beeped again. Bruce groaned.

"What, O?"

"_Red alert, B." _Oracle's voice sounded irritated._ "Joker and Grotesque had decided to collaborate in order to rob the National Bank. It's pretty much chaos out there."_

_Great! Just great!_ Batman cursed inwardly. "Alert Robin and Batgirl. I'm on my way. ETA ten minutes."

"_Will do."_

Batman disconnected the line, turned off his computer, and put his cowl back. He turned and met Alfred's gaze.

"Talia will have to wait, Alfred."

The old man nodded in agreement. "Yes, Sir. Unfortunately, she will have to wait."

-TBC-

_Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, but life has been pretty hectic here. Though this chapter ends in a grim tone, I still wanna wish you a belated Merry Xmas and a cheerful Happy New Year to you all. May God bless you and you all live your life the fullest._

_Next: Diana meets Nemesis again._


	17. Truce

Wedding: Interrupted

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Ch 17: Diana and Nemesis finally talk! Also, Bruce's search for Talia._

_Thanks so much to my readers for their review and encouragement and to A Little Summer Wine for the great beta (also the Italian language!). I don't own DC or its characters. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 17. Truce**

Tuesday morning. Staffs of the Australian Embassy in Washington DC were occupied as usual with people who lined up to obtain or renew their passports or visas and other 'redundant' diplomatic businesses. However, the day was getting busier than ever when a gorgeous raven-haired woman landed in front of 1601 Massachusetts Ave and casually approached the Embassy at 10:20 A.M.

"Wonder Woman!" the security in charge gasped, completely flabbergasted to find that the famous heroine was actually stopping to talk to him. Despite her civilian clothing, it was very easy to recognize her as the famous heroine, not because of her well-known face but also for the tiara and silver bracelets that graced her figure. Wonder Woman informed the security that she had an appointment with Madam Ambassador of Australia in ten minutes' time. "Yes, of course Ma'am. We have been informed about you. Come in please."

Smiling, Wonder Woman walked through the carefully guarded gate, into the main lobby lushly decorated with pictures of Kakadu National Park, Snowy Mountain, and several Aboriginal paintings. Per the receptionist's direction, Diana of Themyscira walked along a corridor nicely decorated with reproduced paintings of Australian artists. She tried to ignore the whispers of awe from the Embassy staff and guests behind her, but her effects were to no avail as two Australian students and one Mexican woman suddenly blocked her way and asked for photographs (with those neat mobile-phone camera) and autographs. She arrived in front of the designated meeting room after five minutes of delay.

"Glad you made it in time, Madam Ambassador."

The Amazon Ambassador smiled at Rachel Keast, the Legal Attaché of Themysciran Embassy, who was standing inside the meeting room with a cup of coffee.

"The fire didn't take long to put out and I had ten minutes to take another shower before heading here." Earlier, Diana had been helping the Bronx fire department to put out fires in the borough. "How's the agenda coming?"

"Good," Rachel put her cup on the table and reached for her documents. "My counterpart here has agreed on the agenda, so we can jump directly to the issues once the Ambassador arrives."

Diana nodded several times as she flipped through the agenda and documents for today's meeting. Five minutes later, a tall brunette with smart glasses entered the meeting room.

"Apologize for leaving you waiting here, Madam Ambassador," she said as she shook Diana's hand. "My name is Ellie Moore, Legal Attaché of the Australian Embassy. Madam Ambassador will be here shortly. Meanwhile, may I offer you some coffee?"

Ambassador Isabelle Keith entered the room as Diana took her second sip of coffee. Not unexpectedly, Mrs. Keith asked for five minute's photo session with Wonder Woman before starting the meeting on the status of newly emerged Australian meta-humans.

-xxx-

Although both Rachel Keast and Diana of Themyscira worked for Themysciran Embassy, this time they represented the United Nations' Meta Human Alliance, a very small UN division consisting of five people (two of them being Rachel and Diana) that had been established two years ago to accommodate the resurging trend of meta humans all over the world. Directly working with the UN Secretary General, the UNMHA was formed in cooperation with the Justice League, and now often worked hand-in-hand with the Leaguers to solve international meta-human issues. Diana was the Justice League's representative for UNMHA since its establishment and consequently she had recruited her most-trusted second-in-command lawyer, Rachel Keast, as the part-time UNMHA Legal Attaché.

Before working with the UNMHA, Rachel had worked with Wonder Woman for more than five years. Yet, she still found herself amazed at Diana's ability to speak of her essential ideas, analyzing other people's arguments and coming up with ideal solutions for both parties. Sometimes, the Amazing Amazon succeeded, sometimes she did not. Yet, apparently this morning would be another success, and a relatively easy one for that, thanks to the fact that Mrs. Keith was an avid fan of Wonder Woman.

So far, Isabelle Keith's only concern was that the Australian meta-humans would have to align themselves with the Justice League of America, something that the Australian Ambassador for the United States thought a bit misplaced. With heightened interest, Rachel observed the conversation between her Ambassador and Australia's.

"I assure you, Madam Ambassador, that the Justice League's official name is now 'the Justice League'," Diana explained calmly. "Mostly as a reference and in honor to the historical background, the League tends to maintain 'of America' among American superheroes. Yet, to accommodate the increasing interest and membership of international and interplanetary heroes – myself and Martian Manhunter among others – we hence dropped 'of America' from our official name."

Rachel nodded several times, confirming Diana's explanation. One of Rachel's main duty in the UNMHA was to ensure that all heroes had legitimate access in and out of any UN countries, as long as they are doing their – for lack of a better term – superhuman businesses. From the corner of her eye, she saw Ellie Moore get up and walked to open the door and talked to someone behind the door. Rachel arched her eyebrow, but she decided to return her attention to Diana.

"The UN will also grant your citizens new passports that will allow them to travel all over the world without limits or, of course, visa and other related fees, provided that they are doing their surveillance works," Diana resumed. "Rachel here will take care of the legal side of things."

"Surveillance works…" Isabelle flipped over her documents again. "Three of the five new Australian meta-humans reside in the United States, Madam Ambassador. Would there be any insurance to cover their safety?"

_Insurance. _ Rachel closed her eyes. _Here we go again…_ She opened her eyes as Diana said, "Insurance will be covered by –"

"DMA, or the Department of Metahuman Affairs of the United States," a very familiar male voice rang from behind her. "Of course, this only applies to the Australians in the United States. But I'm sure your government would cover the rest of the costs?"

Both Rachel and Diana blinked in surprise as they turned to see Nemesis walking casually into the meeting room as he took a chair next to Rachel, right across the Themysciran Ambassador. "After all," continued the DMA agent casually, as if he hadn't interrupted a formal meeting, "Those guys are here to save the world, no?"

"Three women and two men, Agent Nemesis. The world has truly changed." Cutting off Nemesis' sarcastic tone, Diana interrupted. The Amazon then cast her glance at Rachel Keast, a glance Rachel interpreted as 'Why didn't you tell me he was here?' The Amazon then turned to Isabelle Keith. "Ambassador Keith, let me introduce you to Agent Nemesis of the Department of Metahuman Affairs."

Isabelle Keith swept her askance glance at the newly arrived agent and his tousled blond hair. The immaculately dressed 48 years old Ambassador was very sure that, had the agent been her son, she would have told him to brush his hair before entering a formal meeting.

"I'm sorry I was late, Madam Ambassadors," his careless smile inexplicably erased Isabelle's annoyance. "I should be representing Sarge Steel here, but I was caught with another DMA emergency."

The Australian Ambassador nodded. "And if I am not misinformed, you are here because half of our meta-humans reside in the United States and interact with your government and people, is that so?" If her memory served her right, Isabelle also recognized that this Nemesis person was also Tom Tresser, former husband-to-be of the Wonder Woman who cancelled their wedding almost a month ago.

Nemesis flashed another of his careless smile. "Yes, Ma'am. I'm glad that both Wonder Woman and Ms. Keast still find my presence useful, as always."

Diana arched her eyebrows, but made no comment. Rachel took the opportunity to jump in.

"Agent Nemesis here has some further information about the abilities of your heroes and hypothesis on how they obtained their powers." Rachel gestured to Nemesis, who was exchanging prolonged eye-contact with Diana. When he neglected to speak for a few moments, the UNMHA/Themysciran Legal Attaché had to kick his legs under the table to remind him of the conversation going on around them.

"Ah, yes," Nemesis grimaced and returned his attention to the Australian Ambassador. "Apparently Ambassador Keith, Wonder Woman was wrong, to some extend at least. One of the women was basically a shape-shifter, and so far we haven't been able to decide if she was a woman or a man, or a non _Homo sapiens _species."

Isabelle Keith arched her eyebrow as she poured herself another cup of coffee.

"That is interesting. Continue, Agent Nemesis."

Legal Attaché Rachel Keast sighed in temporal relieve. She would need Ambassador Keith to help her in this meeting, as she had detected a subtle hint that Diana was struggling to remain calm and detached. Rachel cursed Nemesis for not confirming that he would indeed come to the meeting representing the DMA. _Qué sera, sera._

-xxx-

"You should've told me that he was coming." Diana launched her protest right after they walked out of the Embassy at 12:23. She cast a glance at Tom Tresser who was talking on his mobile phone with an unidentified voice, _presumably _Sarge Steel, so that Nemesis could inform him of the results of the meeting.

"I wasn't sure he was going to come," was Rachel's defense. "And hey, the most important thing was that he helped us a lot, right?"

"Not that we really need him there," Diana persisted. "When Sarge said that he couldn't make it, I thought that no one from the DMA would come. And I thought it might be better that way."

Rachel Keast looked into Diana's azure eyes and sighed. "Look, Madam Ambassador, I'm sorry I didn't tell you this, okay. The truth was that even Tom wasn't sure that he would come or not. And I didn't want to…" the Legal Attaché pursed her lips. "…create a problem by giving you information that might not be correct."

Diana locked gaze with her second-in-command. A moment later, she shrugged. "Okay then… what's done is done. He did help us anyway…" _The truth is… I'm not ready to face him. Great Gaea, I'm just not ready…_

As if reading Diana's turmoil, Rachel smiled. "Things have to be sorted out soon or later, Diana. In this case, sooner might be better."

Diana blinked_. Did she talk to Bruce? They must be collaborating. _She sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry I was rather annoyed… I was just…"

"Not ready," Rachel smiled. "Yet perhaps now is the time?"

_She definitely talked with Bruce… _Diana smiled ruefully. "Perhaps."

Rachel nodded. "Well then… I'd better be going now. My plane leaves in less than two hours." She had to return to New York for yet another meeting.

"I told you that you could fly back with me."

"Don't like flying like that," Rachel smiled, and added hastily, "Not that I don't like you, you know… Besides, you have things to do here now." The Legal Attaché looked up to see Tom Tresser finishing his phone conversation.

"Yes, I know. Thanks, Rachel." Wonder Woman lifted her hand to hail a taxi, which skidded right in front of them.

"You're leaving now?" Tom finally joined them.

Rachel shrugged as she entered the taxi. "Yeah, I've got an afternoon meeting in New York."

"You should learn how to fly," Nemesis grinned.

"Not a chance…" Rachel grimaced. "Nice to see you too, Tom. See you around, Diana!"

Both Tom and Diana waved at Rachel until the taxi disappeared in the traffic. Then, Tom turned to face Diana.

"I'm glad she left. Not that I don't miss her. But –" he straightened up. "I really need to talk to you, Diana."

Diana felt her throat drying up. "Now?" she whispered.

"We can choose a better place," Tom's hazel eyes gazed into Diana's azure eyes. "A park or a restaurant. But I really appreciate if you could spare the time."

Diana felt the lump in her throat enlarging. "Sure…" she nodded slowly. "Sure, Tom. You pick the place."

-xxx-

Diana had expected that Tom Tresser would just start another 'intense discussion' session with her regarding their cancelled wedding. Thus, she was surprised to learn that Tom said nothing. Instead, the blond DMA agent walked alongside her quietly, his hands tucked in his pockets as if collecting his thoughts. They had walked down the Massachusetts Avenue, passing Dupont Circle, the Embassy of Uzbekistan, the Embassy of Indonesia, and were approaching the Indian Embassy when she finally gave in to her nerves.

"So… what do you want to talk about?" her voice betrayed her concerns. _Will we fight again? Will we never be friends again?_

For a while, Tom didn't answer. Instead, he stopped in front of the Indian Embassy, gazing at the magnificent elephant sculptures adorning the gate. An Indian security looked at them suspiciously. Tom smiled, waved at him, and resumed walking.

"Not sure, really. I mean…" he rubbed his nose. "I'm not sure where to start."

Diana felt her throat clogged. _Be brave, girl. Time to fix things up… _"Shall I start first then?"

Tom looked up. "Sure. Be my guest."

_Here we go. _Diana cleared her throats. "Uhhmmm… well… I just want to say thank you for attending the meeting…and sorry." She straightened up and repeated. "Sorry again for… the wedding."

Tom gave a sad smile. "Ah…yes… the cancelled wedding…"

"I'm still sorry that I had to do that, Tom," Diana resumed. "But I'm not sorry that I took the initiative. As I said, the wedding would be a lie then."

"Because of your immortality issue?" Tom locked gaze with Diana. He corked his eyebrow to see no surprise from Diana's part. "Ah… I see that you're not surprised. Bruce has informed you, no?"

Diana cleared her throat again. "Don't hate him, please. It's all my fault."

"Hate the Batman?" Tom was surprised to see Diana blink. So Bruce Wayne didn't tell Diana that Tom had figured out his identity. "I deduced it when I was in his office yesterday. And he visited me last night as the Batman." He looked around and smiled. Pedestrians around them were practically non existent that moment. "Don't worry, not a word about it to others."

Diana nodded in gratitude. "I know you wouldn't tell about him, Tom."

Tom shrugged. "I'm in the business anyway, Diana." He gestured towards a nice café roughly with cozy seats under the trees nearby the Embassy of Luxemburg. "Shall we sit here?" Then, without waiting for Diana's approval, he took a seat and ordered a cup of espresso. Diana followed suit and asked the indifferent waitress for caramel latte. Diana and Tom were the only customers sitting outside that afternoon, and both were grateful for that. They sat in silent until their beverages arrived.

Tom reached for his sugar as he continued, "As I said before, I'm in the business. I know when to open my mouth and when to shut up." He stirred the sugar and sipped his coffee. "And I don't hate him. I just need time to think."

"I know. And I thank you for that." Diana gazed at her latte. "I understand it has been so unfair for you, Tom. Of the three – " she pursed her lips and resumed, " – four of us, you were the real innocent here. You…don't deserve this. And again, I am sorry for that."

He tilted his head. "You know, Bruce has kept this secret, but I sense that there was something wrong with his wedding. Something that should not have happened – and I'm not talking about his affection to you. Something that caused his wedding." Tom saw Diana's expression and immediately realized that she too had sensed something more, something suspicious behind Bruce's wedding. He shrugged. "Not that it's my business. In all honesty, I think he deserved my punch." He shook his head. "He didn't fight back, though. That's when I realized he never did want to hurt me, that he was sorry for his part in it."

"He is, Tom, he is." Diana looked back at him. "We're both sorry to hurt you."

"…We…" Tom pondered. "You two are really an item now, eh?"

Sipping her latte, Diana shook her head. "Not really. I mean… I can't just jump into a relationship, especially considering that he's married and all. For now, I prefer to be alone." She straightened up. "But that's not what we should be talking about now. I should… explain you why I did what I did." She bit her lips nervously. "Why I didn't tell you about my immortality."

"Because you were afraid that I'd leave you the way Bruce did." There was no anger in Tom's voice. Only plain understanding.

Diana gazed into those hazel eyes and once again felt a pang of regret that she had to hurt this ragged but sincere person. "I was wrong to do that, Tom. I know that. Being the bearer of Lasso of Truth, I should not do that…" She bit her lips again, trembling. "But things were said and done, and all I can say to you now is that I'm sorry… Sorry that I didn't live up to the woman I should be."

Upon Tom's silent, Diana sighed. "And also thank you… for being so kind and nice to me. You're so –"

"That's enough, Diana," Tom held his hand. "Deep inside I knew that had I met you before you got along with Bruce, I might have won your heart. It's not impossible." He gazed into her lovely azure eyes. "But the truth is, you knew each other before I knew you. And…I was too late. Though I still can't grasp it all, I know that you two will remain like this for quite a long time. Loving and caring for each other, against all odds."

To Tom's surprise, Diana chuckled. "Against all odds…" caressing her cup, she pondered the words. Then she looked at her watch and arched her eyebrow. "It's almost two o'clock?! Hera! I need to go soon…"

"Going somewhere?" Tom drank his espresso.

"I have a Foundation meeting in the interior of Thailand, by the Mekong River," Diana explained as she finished her beverage. "I still need to finish some presentations before leaving to go there this afternoon." She reached for her purse, and placed five dollars on the table. "Sorry that I have to leave, Tom, but…"

"That's okay," Tom shrugged. He also paid his coffee and got up. "It still went better than I expected."

Diana frowned as she got up and fixed her dress. "You expected a fight?" To her surprise, he chuckled.

"Not exactly. Just some denials from you… or myself." His hazel eyes looked into Diana's azure eyes. "I'm rather glad that it didn't happen."

Diana looked back at him and smiled. "Yes, I'm also glad that it didn't happen." Tom shrugged again. Diana hesitated before resuming, "Will you be okay?"

"Will you?"

She nodded. "Yes. But I need you to be okay too…"

Placing some money on the table, he shrugged. "Deal, Princess." Her smile was the most beautiful thing he had seen in the last two weeks. He walked with her for a few steps. "Take care, Diana."

"You too, Tom," she kept smiling. "You too…"

Then, like a spring breeze, Wonder Woman took off in her civilian grandeur, leaving the waitress in awe and Tom pondering her glowing raven hair under the afternoon sun of Washington, D.C.

-xxx-

_Wednesday evening, Val d'Orcia_

The evening breeze of Val d'Orcia did nothing to alleviate Bruce Wayne's weariness. A few hours ago, he had just finished his business with Joker and Grotesque and after locking them back in Arkham Asylum, he had directly taken off for Italy. He had arrived half an hour ago, parking his Batwing off Pienza, changing his costume with his civvies, and emerging in front of a simple mechanic on the way to Val d'Orcia, where he borrowed the mechanic's car just for the sake of keeping his appearance as a worried Mr. Wayne. Too bad that Alberto Dionni was not Alfred Pennyworth, otherwise he could just appear in front of the Piazza d'Talia in his Batman regalia.

Speeding along the provincial road of Tuscany, Bruce kept pondering why he was bothering to do all of this, to check on Talia's condition even though they were married.

_Riigghht… A legal status she obtained in such a way…_ Bruce clenched his jaw, gripped the steering wheel and ignored his thoughts. Whatever Talia had done, she had done out of loneliness, out of the fear of losing him. Despite his anger once he had discovered what she had done to him, Bruce still understood her, and somehow felt sorry that their marriage had to end like this.

Bruce inhaled, and little by little, the intense fragrance of vineyard and river breeze that filled his lungs and nostrils reduced his anxiety. He slowed down as he reached his destination, turned at his residential lane, and after driving along a lush _Sangiovese grosso _vineyard, stopped in front of the gate. He got out of his car, didn't bother to lock (as he carried only one small suitcase with him), and punched in several security numbers on the gate panel. The gate opened and he entered casually, transforming instantly into the billionaire Bruce Wayne, a man about to see his wife, or at least, the remainder of her belongings and anything he could find to reconstruct Talia's kidnapping.

"Signore Wayne!"

Bruce turned and flashed his smile at Alberto Dionni. He frowned for a second to see a small bandage on the caretaker's head, but then managed to nod at the cheerful old man.

"Good to see you, Alberto. Everything is okay?"

"Couldn't be better, Signore…" To Bruce, Alberto was too happy to see him. "We've been expecting you, Sir. Shall I bring your bags inside?"

_Expecting me?_ "Ah… no, thanks, Alberto. I'm not going to stay that long."

Alberto looked puzzled. "But, Sir, Madam said that you would stay overnight with her."

_What?! _Instead of feeling relieved, Bruce felt red alert went off in his head. "Ah… yes. Talia must be mistaken. I said to her that we would have to see…"

Alberto scratched his chin and shrugged. "As you wish, Sir. But Maria might have to hurry with dinner. Madam Talia also has to repack her things once more."

Bruce cursed inwardly. _What the hell is happening? _"She told me she just arrived…" commented nonchalantly, he resumed walking.

"This morning, Sir…" Alberto walked along him. "Both Maria and I were very surprised of course, but as she looked healthy and happy, we assumed that the problem in Gotham was addressed properly."

"It was…Yes, it was…" Bruce didn't know what else to say.

"She also said that you would join her soon, Sir. And she was right…"

Bruce nodded unconsciously. They have arrived at the front door. "So, where is she, Alberto?"

Alberto opened the door. "She would be upstairs, I think. Would you like me to call her down?"

Bruce shook his head. "That is unnecessary. I shall go there myself."

"Very well, Sir. I shall tell Maria to prepare dinner now."

Bruce wanted to tell the caretaker not to bother with the dinner, as he had many more important things to do, but he thought better of it. "Of course. Grazi, Alberto." Then he walked up the stairs to the master bedroom.

There was no one inside, but Bruce could smell Talia's intense perfume as it lingered in the air. He saw a small leather suitcase on the bed, full of beautiful lace lingerie and silk dresses. He looked around and was about to walk to the inner bathroom when his wife emerged from inside. She looked as gorgeous as ever, with a blue towel wrapped around her perfect body, her wet hair framing her shoulders, making her more exotic than ever. Bruce frowned.

"I was expecting you, Beloved…" Talia Al-Ghul Wayne walked sensuously towards him. Bruce could clearly see lust in her sparkling brown eyes.

"Talia…" after recovering from his surprise, Bruce spoke. "What happened to you? I was worried! I thought you had been kidnapped!"

Her smile was seductive. "Ahh…such a lovely husband…" Her slender hands caressed Bruce's hair and chest. "I knew you would be thinking of me that much…"

Bruce held Talia's hands. "What. Happened. Talia? Who kidnapped you? How did you escape?"

Still smiling, Talia let Bruce hold her hands. "I know you missed me, Husband… I just know…"

Bruce clenched his jaws. "Talia, answer me. What. Happened?"

Her eyes were full with lust, her lips half opened lustrously. "Nothing. Just a little drama to make my husband fear for my safety… and I was right." Suddenly, she drew herself to Bruce and rubbed her body against his. Her blue towel fell off, revealing her delicious naked body. "Didn't you…my love?"

Feeling a sudden involuntary reaction, Bruce withdrew his hands. He opened his mouth to warn Talia, but his wife was faster. As soon as her hands were free, she grabbed Bruce, pulled him towards her naked body, and kissed him passionately. Bruce gasped in shock, but Talia had entwined one of her legs around his waist and, still kissing him fervently, rubbed her wet valley on his member.

"Aahhh… just as I remembered. You are still the champion who seeded me." She stroked harder. "Who gave me our child. Who are going to give me – " another stroke, " – another child of our own!"

"Talia, stop!" Bruce withdrew and pushed her back. "What are you doing?!"

"Doing what a wife usually do with her husband," Talia reached back to kiss him. Bruce held her back, fiery anger emanating from his eyes. Ignoring him, Talia smiled. "What's the matter, Beloved? You don't want to see me naked?" She purred and rubbed her breasts against him once more. "Or… do you want me to get dressed so you can tear the clothes off?"

"Talia, stop!" Bruce withdrew, striding a few steps away. He was in full control now. "You're not usually like this. What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" Her eyes flashed in different fire this time. "You are the one who's wrong, Bruce!" Her voice changed, angry and jealous. "You changed since that bitch dated that blond agent! You are jealous, and you want to have her back, don't you?!"

Bruce cursed inwardly. "What are you talking about?"

"That bitch, Diana! The so-called Amazon Princess who took you away from me!" Talia's lust rapidly disappeared. Hatred emanated from her eyes. "She took you from me! And I will take you back!"

And just like extreme weather, Talia's lust reappeared. She threw herself at Bruce, literally attacking him with her wet kisses, strokes, and rubs, so much that it caused him pain and pleasure that he hated, for it was not administered by a woman he truly loved. Bruce grunted and pushed her away, but as she kept resisting, he could only think of one way to dislodge her.

He slapped her. Not a hard slap, but certainly was enough to shake her dignity. Talia Al-Ghul Wayne stopped dead, locking gaze with her husband.

"You dare to slap me…" she whispered in hatred.

"You should know your boundaries, Talia," Bruce panted, trying to collect his breath.

"She made you like this, didn't she?" Holding one palm against her cheek, she hissed, "She made you hate me."

"Leave Diana out of this, Talia. This is between you and me."

"Right! Says the husband who slapped his wife!" Talia screamed.

"Says a wife who drugged and manipulated her husband into marrying her!" Bruce growled.

She blinked. And then laughed bitterly.

"So… you finally found out, did you?" Talia Al-Ghul Wayne swept her hair back with an air of superiority. "My Beloved, my clever husband…"

-TBC-

_Author's Note:_

_For readers who thought that Bruce was being a cruel jerk for marrying Talia and treating her and Diana like doormats, I hope this chapter begins to revise your opinions. He didn't do that with his conscious consent… And actually, neither did Talia, at least in this chapter._

_Next: still on the Waynes. And one of Bruce's closest circle goes MIA._


	18. Missing in Action

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Ch 18: why did Bruce marry Talia? Also, someone close to Bruce goes MIA. Guest star: Catwoman._

_Thanks so much to my readers for their review and encouragement and to A Little Summer Wine for the great beta. I don't own DC or its characters. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 18. Missing in Action**

_Two summers ago _

Talia Al-Ghul had loved Bruce Wayne for years and for many good reasons. Not only that the Batman dared to stand up against Ra's Al-Ghul – her terrorist father, but the man was also strong enough to live a tortured and disciplined life in order to keep the citizens of Gotham safer in their homes and in the streets. Of course, his dashing face and well-built figure were a bonus for the beautiful Talia who had always found that other men paled in comparison to the Gotham vigilante. Yet, their first marriage had taken another course when Talia had found that Bruce loved her so much that he was willing to give his life to protect her. That she didn't want, and therefore, she had made up a story that she had a miscarriage, telling her husband she believed that they should divorce. Broken hearted, Bruce left her and resumed to live and thrive with his darker side, Batman.

As for Talia herself, she continued her life as a strong-willed woman, slowly but sure detaching herself from her powerful father, carrying her love for Bruce deep within her. When she returned to Gotham after recalling how her sister Nyssa manipulated her into almost killing their own father, she didn't expect that Bruce would forgive her. She just needed to see him, tell him the nagging feelings within her, and thus leaving behind her old world forever.

To her surprise, Bruce responded with a dinner, took her back to Gotham Plaza Hotel, and reappeared the following night in front of her suite, asking her for yet another dinner. Looking back the past, she should have known that Bruce was also lonely that time, and he was looking for a friend in her. They had some more dinners and lunches, all which she enjoyed. Then came that night when Bruce picked her up (they had planned to go to see a movie together), and he had to cancel their date because his League _commlink _went off.

"What happen?" Talia merely wanted to know.

Bruce shrugged as he hastily collected his jacket. "League business. Wonder Woman and Superman had their hands full with this new crook: an ancient Sumerian magician with the power to turn things to stones." _Like Medusa_, he thought, but then he shook the thought away. _Diana would be okay. She would not hurt herself again…_

Talia didn't realize that Bruce's main concern was Wonder Woman, instead of the entire League. "That bad?"

"Not really," he replied as he put on his jacket. "But they found some ancient inscriptions that might help with defeating the magician. The writings need decoding, and I'm the one who can do that."

Talia nodded, her heart sank. Gone had her movie, and she again had to have a lonely dinner in her hotel room. "Will you be long?"

"Not sure," he made to leave, but then murmured, "Here, hold the key. I need to go to the bathroom." He handed over his car key to Talia and went to the bathroom.

For seconds, Talia stood up with Bruce's car key, contemplating the immaculate carpeted floor. Then she dashed to her wardrobe, took a brown wooden box from her suitcase, took out a vial from the box, and went back to the living area. She poured several drops of the golden liquid to Bruce's untouched coffee and slipped the vial back into her pocket just by the time Bruce emerged from the bathroom.

"Okay, I have to go." Bruce took his key from Talia's hand. "Sorry I can't make it this time."

"It's okay, Bruce," she returned, smiling. "But I've made some coffee for you. Can you at least drink it? You know it will help you stay awake."

Bruce shrugged; he was indeed a bit tired. He sipped half of the coffee, put the cup back, kissed Talia on the cheek, and left. An hour later, he reappeared in front of her, as the Batman, perching on her window sill with his billowing cape.

"I thought that you needed more time to decode the inscription?" Talia arched her eyebrow.

"I have asked the machines to do the primary algorithms for me," he answered with a ragged breath. "I will return back later."

"Ah." She smiled. "And why are you here now?"

Bruce took off his cowl and stared at her intently, his eyes full of lust. "I can't stop thinking of you." He stepped forward. "I miss you."

Then he pulled her towards him, kissed her passionately, laid her body down the carpet, and continued to ravage her perfect body as he tore her black silk night gown away. He didn't even register the fact that she wore very sexy lingerie at 8 pm and that the entire room was filled with glowing candles. He didn't care; for he could only think of her that night.

-xxx-

Hours later, they both lay on the messy bed, damp and sheened with sweat. She purred as she hugged him.

"Ah, Beloved, I never thought that I would have you that way again…"

Bruce smiled as he looked at the beautiful brunette in his arms. "I could not stop thinking of you…" Then, a noisy alarm made him frown. "Damned. The analysis! I have to return to the Watchtower."

Caressing his scarred chest, she still smiled. "Will you be back?"

He looked at her. "Of course I will be back. I will just beam up and return in an hour."

Her seductive smile widened. "I will still be here."

He looked at her intently. Then, "Why don't you pack your things and move to the Manor? I will ask Alfred to pick you in half an hour."

Her neatly trimmed eyebrows arched up. "Is that a permanent invitation, Beloved? I do not want to pack again and move to another hotel tomorrow night."

He looked at her and suddenly kissed her. "It's a permanent invitation, My Lady," he whispered. "Unless you do not want to…"

She smiled again as she stroked his member with her slender hand. "What do you think, Detective?"

He suddenly wanted to curse the entire League for not being able to decode the message themselves. He returned back to the Watchtower reluctantly, grumpily decoding the inscription – and also revealing the key to defeat their new enemy – and beamed down to the Manor as soon as the Sumerian magician was defeated. Without even changing out of his costume, he directly went to his room to find Talia's naked body totally covered with rose petals, her brown hair draped about her shoulders like silk, and her pheromone so strong that he cursed his costume for being so sticky and hard to take off. They didn't leave the room until lunch time.

-xxx-

_Present time, Wednesday afternoon_

"You added to my coffee the same liquid your father gave me before I wedded you years ago," Bruce Wayne said sternly, trying so hard to control his emotions. "You doped me into making love with you that night."

"Ah… I am disappointed at you, Beloved…" still naked, Talia walked to her bed and sat elegantly. "It was a different potion. The old one stirred your desires to me – the ones that already existed within you. The one that you drank with your coffee…" She smiled and lay down sensuously. " – made you recalled all those beautiful nights we had before, all those wild nights of making love that we had before… so intense that you wanted to have them again."

"You manipulated me!"

"Not at all. I just evoked your past memories."

Bruce squinted. "Did you give me any other potions afterwards?"

She stroked her naked breast with her hair. "You mean, any potions that made you wanted to marry me?" She sighed as she enjoyed arousing herself. "No." Her brown eyes stared intently into Bruce's icy cold eyes. "That was the beauty. You asked me to marry you because you wanted to. Not because of any potions."

"But I made love to you because of your potion. How could you be sure that I didn't propose you because of the after effect of the potion?" She remained silent. Her eyes radiated mystery now. He clenched his jaws. "How many times did you use that particular potion?"

She lingered for a while before purring, "Twice."

Bruce gritted his teeth. "When?!"

Talia didn't answer. Instead, she leisurely touched her own body parts. "Does it matter? It was just to evoke your memories, Beloved. I didn't drug you to propose me. It was your own doing." She caressed her valley now. "By the way… how could you deduce the coffee part?"

_Why is she so calm?! _Annoyed, Bruce answered anyway. "It was a crisis so big I should not have been able to abandon the League. And because I remembered feeling as if I was in a haze as I approached you. It was odd and I finally put things together." He frowned inwardly as he watched Talia fingering her own vagina; he was aroused. _Damned, Bruce! Stop looking at her! Think of Diana! _

In fact, that summer night when he made love with Talia, he vaguely realized that should be worried about Diana instead. Wonder Woman was injured heavily fighting the Sumerian magician. Instead, he was thinking of Talia. His head seemed to explode as memories of his past with Talia danced in his mind. He could not handle it; that was why he went back to Gotham to see Talia. Yet, years later he realized that he could not act that way unless manipulated.

"You manipulated me, Talia. There's no reason why we have to continue this marriage." _Why is everything hazy?_ He felt his legs step forward; he felt his arms reaching for his wife.

"Of course we can, Beloved. You still want me, thus we can continue this marriage." Her purr became more sensuous as she reached back for him, leading his hand to touch her breast.

He sighed as he touched her; he groaned more as she touched his enlarging member. He pulled her and kissed her delicious lips. Talia moaned and arched her back. At that time, Bruce stopped dead.

"Did you drug me for the second time today?!" He pushed her back hard. "How did you do that again this time, Talia?! What did you do?!" He gritted his teeth, summoning his mental strength. "Tell me now, or I will hurt you!"

She smiled lazily. "I was taking a shower when you arrived. One cannot differentiate wet lips after shower and wet lips after drinking the potion…only to deliver the potion to you as we kissed."

_The saliva!_ Bruce was very angry this time, his body trembled. "You dared to poison me again?!"

Talia Al Ghul smiled. "It was quite a lot of potion, Beloved. Are you sure you are quite strong to reject it?"

To Bruce, the fog became thicker. He groaned as he felt his desires stirred up to an unmanageable level. Trembling, he went inside the bathroom, and before Talia could stop him, he broke the mirror and sliced his arm with the shattered glasses. The pain did not make him scream as his body was well used to such pain. But the agony and the oozing blood did help him to override the fog created by Talia's potion.

Talia stood silently, watching Bruce's blood dripping on the marbled floor. "You hurt yourself," was her calm comment.

"Anything to protect my sanity." Ignoring her, Bruce walked past the door into the bedroom. With blood dripping down the carpet, he reached for his bag, took out a set of documents, and slammed the documents on the bed.

"Our divorce papers. Take a look at them and return them immediately to Wayne Manor, signed. I will ask my lawyer to deal with you later on." He had not intended to give the letters right away; he had just prepared it for a friendly discussion should he find Talia safe and sound. Never had he thought that he would have to give the papers in such a fashion.

"You are bleeding," was yet another deadly calm comment of hers.

"The entire vineyard is yours. I will have Alfred packing the rest of your belongings and ship them to Tuscany." He wrapped his wound with his jacket to avoid comments from Alberto.

"You are not leaving."

He didn't bother to look back. "Yes I am. See you in the courtroom."

"You did this to me because of her. That Wonder Bitch. She will have my revenge."

This time, he looked back to see hatred on her eyes. He shook his head sadly. "This is not you, Talia. Did Nyssa do this to you?" Her cold eyes were a giveaway. His heart sank. "Talia…You have to fight her. I can't protect you anymore."

Her hatred flared up. "I will hurt that Wonder Woman of yours."

He shook his head again. "You can try; she will be able to defend herself." He made to leave, then added, "I will defend her as well."

He didn't stop, though he heard a flower vase shattered into pieces. He ignored Alberto's questions, asked the caretaker to return the car to the Pienza mechanic, and walked away from the vineyard. When he was out of Alberto's sight, he summoned the Batwing and left for Gotham directly.

-xxx-

"_Bruce… wait, I can't understand," _Diana's voice was alarmed. _"You were hurt? You bleed, don't you? Do you have Alfred with you?"_

"I don't need Alfred," he panted, pressing his wound. "I need you." He pressed his wound again, not to stop the bleeding, but to administer more pain so that the image of naked Talia stop dancing in his mind. "I love you, Diana…"

"_I love you, too, Bruce…"_ her voice was confused. _"Are you sure you don't need Alfred? Nightwing? I can call Donna –"_

"No, I don't need them," he wheezed. He stole a glance at the Batwing speed gauge; he was traveling with Mach 4 to Gotham on autopilot. "I need you. Talk to me."

"_Bruce –" _Diana sounded in the verge of crying. _"Please tell me you're okay. What happened? Should I leave now?"_

"No!" He gasped as his nails tore another layer of skin. "They need you there, Diana. Don't leave them. Just talk to me."

He sat on his chair as the Batwing navigated itself across the Atlantic. Half conscious, he heard Diana talking about anything she could remember; her meeting with Ambassador Keith, her meeting with the Foundation members of the Indochina chapter, even her meeting with Tom. Bruce nodded though he knew that Diana could not see him; nor that he understood completely what she said. He struggled to open his medicine box and injected sedative into his own system. _Better sleep now…_

"_He looked okay, Bruce. Sad but okay."_

"That's good…that's good…" He murmured, recognizing that he was entering a delirious state.

"_Bruce… status?"_

He could not focus.

"_Will you be okay?"_

He struggled to speak, "Crossing the Atlantic. Stay safe, Diana. I need to sleep…"

Her voice was alarmed. _"Atlantic?! Where did you go, Bruce? What happened?"_

"See you later, Diana…" He drifted to sleep.

-xxx-

_Mekong River, Laos part_

At a small village in the brink of the Great Mekong River, Diana of Themyscira put down her _commlink_, feeling the content of her stomach churning up. She had been sleeping tight in her hut when Batman called her and warned her to be careful. His voice was croaky and strange, she almost could not recognize him. And now, she was alert. She got up and turned to see Lily Tranh, the Indochina coordinator for Wonder Woman Foundation entered her hut.

"Yes, Lily?"

Lily had obviously just waked up, and she was not in a calm state. "Uh, Diana, you just woke up?"

Diana nodded absentmindedly. "I need to cut short my visit, Lily. I'm sorry." She pursed her lips. "League business, red alert."

Lily nodded nervously. "But can it wait, Diana? We… we have guests outside."

"What guests?" Diana frowned. Guests, in the middle of the night? Lily said nothing. She just gestured her to look outside, to see a very shocking scene taking place on the village yard in front of their office.

Diana gasped. Some soldiers were taking hostage of children and youngsters of the village. A tall woman entered her office with her air of arrogance. The pale moonlight glinted on the ring nose she wore.

"Wonder Woman, you brought trouble to my sister. Now it's time for us to bring you some troubles in return."

-xxx-

Bruce woke up by the time the Batwing touched down in the Cave. He opened his eyes and examined his feelings. Relieved that he saw no haze or any sensuous images of Talia in his mind, he checked on his open wound. It had stopped bleeding. He opened the door and stumbled out.

"Gosh… you're so messy!"

He turned to see Catwoman _sans_ cowl and goggles standing next to the computer console, clearly waiting for him.

"Selina, hi," he muttered and directly went to the shower.

"Hi, too…and that's okay… I'll wait…" Selina's annoyed voice was drowned out by the shower. He ignored her and continued showering until his bloodstain was clean and his mind was clearer. He emerged with his bathrobe in a better state, though was starting to feel furious again about what Talia had attempted to do to him. Yet, he was sure that Talia had done that out of loneliness, not because she really wanted to have him that way. That was the reason he hadn't divorced her immediately when several months ago he suddenly remembered the coffee incident. Something had changed his wife into the cold-blooded woman he had just met, and Bruce was 100 sure that it had to do with Nyssa Raatko.

Bruce walked past Selina and slumped into his chair. He bandaged his wound carefully as Selina watched him.

"Another scar, eh?"

"New collection," he muttered. Perhaps the first one he had self-inflicted though. "So, how are you?"

Catwoman was silent for a while. "Good, though it seems that you have no time to share the good news."

He looked at Selina Kyle, and slowly smiled. Catwoman was his old colleague, also his former lover. He should have time for her. "Sorry. What is it, Selina?" He drew back to study her. "You do look happy."

"I am." She does look contented. "I truly am."

Intrigued, he set aside his own problems. "What is it? Tell me."

Selina studied him for a while, took a seat in front of him, and then suddenly blurted out, "Maggie remembered me."

This unexpected news elated Bruce's mood. He blinked and instantly felt the joy for his old friend. Margaret Kyle, Selina's little sister, had led a very different life style than Selina before they were united in Gotham more than seven years ago. Maggie's sanity had been destroyed when she had been forced to witness Black Mask ruthlessly killing Simon, her husband. As if it wasn't enough, the Black Mask forced Maggie to eat her husband's body part, causing permanent psychiatric damage to the once lovely young woman. After Selina defeated the Black Mask, Maggie was relocated to Adam's Psychiatric Institute under the supervision of Leslie Thomkins, M.D. Ever since, Maggie Kyle had been a permanent member of the institute, and nothing Selina or the doctors had done could bring her back to reality.

"Really?" Bruce leaned towards Selina. "What happened?"

The Catwoman shook her head. "I don't know, honestly. I was just visiting her yesterday and had her walking with me in the park. I was talking about Helena, really, and how I wanted to bring her to see her auntie, but I didn't know if it would be okay. Then, she suddenly whispered, _Helena? _I was surprised, you know. She usually doesn't respond to my stories. Then, as I said, _Yes, Helena, your niece_, she turned to me and whispered again, _Selina? _Then…" Selina sobbed. "Then…Oh God…" She broke down crying. "Oh God… Bruce… she called my name again and looked at me. And as I said, _yes, it's me, Maggie, it's Selina, _she reached out to touch my face."

"And then?" Bruce was amazed. Selina didn't respond as she was busy taking care of her tears. Bruce prompted again, "Then, what happened?"

"She kept repeating my name over and over again. Then I locked eyes with her, and in that instant, I knew that she had finally returned home." She wiped out her tears. "Oh God… Bruce, she remembered me. My sister remembered who I am…"

Knowing nothing else to say, Bruce could only reach for her and hug her. "Oh God…" He finally whispered. "I'm so happy for you, Selina… I'm so happy for you…"

"I'm so happy for myself, too…" Selina kept sobbing for a while, soaking Bruce's robe with her tears. Then, after a while, she stopped. She swept a finger under her damp eyes and sat down again, chuckling happily. Bruce chuckled as well.

"Some water?" Bruce reached for a water carafe. He poured Selina a glass of water of which she drank gratefully. He sat down again, placed his elbows on his knees, gazed at the strong-willed single mother in front of him, and then asked, "What are you going to do now? I don't think she remembers her whole history now. And perhaps it's better for her to skip that part…" _of Black Mask's torture _was something he wanted to say but didn't. Selina didn't need to be reminded of the evil villain, the very villain she had terminated five years ago.

Selina nodded. "Leslie said that it's actually better to let her recover slowly. But Diana said –"

"Diana?" Bruce lifted his eyebrows.

"I took her to visit Maggie last month. She said that if Maggie ever remembered me, it would be better for her to undergo a hypnotherapy to help her overcome her past. If she remembers me, her past would emerge as well one day. Best to prepare her for what is to come as her memories return."

"That would be very risky."

Selina nodded again. "Agreed. But Diana said that her Amazon sisters know some ancient Greek therapies that would help Maggie overcoming her past. But that could only be done once Maggie remembered me."

"Which was exactly what happened," Bruce commented. He wondered if Diana spoke of the hypnotherapy out of intuition or if she had somehow detected that Maggie would finally wake up again in the near future. The former Amazon Princess had the gift of strong intuition and understanding that he wasn't sure she even realized. "You might want to talk to her."

"I think that's a good idea," Selina consented. "I should call her after this."

"She's in Indochina now, somewhere in the brink of Mekong River. Foundation business." Bruce reached out to activate the computer and located Diana's GPS position. A few minutes later, he frowned as no data was available. "Weird," he whispered. "I just talked to her just now."

"What's up?" Selina looked up to the screen.

"Diana's _commlink_ is not active; I can't track her." Bruce reached for his communicator._ Never ignore a hunch. _He punched Diana's speed dial and waited. Nothing happened.

"I can't reach her." He was puzzled.

Selina shrugged. "You often turned off your _commlink_ as well. Knowing her, she might be in a meeting or sort."

"Yes, but she doesn't have the habit of turning off the communicator." _Especially after I talked to her in such a desperate fashion. _He pursed his lips and decided to track Diana after Selina left. "But I will inform her about Maggie as soon as I can reach her. She will be only too glad to help you."

Selina nodded absentmindedly. Then, out of the blue she blurted out, "You love her, don't you?"

This statement caught Bruce off guard. He blinked and stared at the Catwoman for a while.

Selina shook her head. "Don't think of me as a fool, Bruce. I could see clearly the love between you and her, long before you dated Talia and she dated the Nemesis. In fact…" she shrugged. "I'm sure that you two dated for a while before breaking up because of something I don't know about. She never told me, but as her friend I knew something was not right."

"Would it matter if we do?" Bruce considered his words carefully. "If Diana and I love each other?"

"Honestly, six or seven years ago it would have mattered deeply to me." Selina shrugged again. "But I known her better now, and I have gotten over you… and I honestly think that you two could make it. If you're not married to Talia, that is."

Bruce's shoulders slouched; once again he felt tired. As close as he was to Selina Kyle, he couldn't just tell her that his wife had twice drugged him into making love with her. Even Diana didn't know that…

"It's complicated," he admitted.

"Most of our lives are," Selina said as she rose. "In all honesty, I don't like Talia. True, she helped me before when Lady Shiva almost killed me, and I should thank her properly for that. It was… unwise of me not to do that. But honestly, I smelled something fishy about your wedding with her. Yes, I pity her. But I think she should not be begging for your love like that." She shrugged. "Not the Talia I had in my mental picture, really."

Bruce frowned. "Tell me about it…"

"I know that she's not here now. That's why I can get into the cave. But your marriage is not my business." She smiled. "Look, I have to go. I want to see Helena to bed before I patrol tonight."

He smiled tiredly. "Say hi to Helena. I miss her."

"Really, you should come to visit us, Bruce. It's been a very long time."

"It has…" he massaged his temples. "Yes, it has… Anyway –" he got up as well and spread up his arms. "Very good to see you, Selina."

She smiled brilliantly. "Thanks for listening, Bruce."

The old friends hugged each other for a long time, whispering happiness for each other. Then…

"I hope you're done with seducing my husband, you bitch!"

Instantly, Bruce and Selina turned to see Talia Al-Ghul Wayne walking into the cave, her regality about her like a cloak. Wearing a white catsuit with a green cape and her brown hair draped across her shoulders, she looked both beautiful and dangerous.

"Get out of my house, you Little Kitty. Or I have to kick you out myself."

Her words simply added fuel to the fire for the Catwoman and swiftly, she withdrew her cat-o-nine tails and glared at Talia. "Watch your mouth, Witch, or I will tear it apart."

Talia's brown eyes glared dangerously. "Perhaps you forgot that I saved you those years ago from Lady Shiva. Yes, my dear Cat. Don't forget that I saved you that day, despite your bitchy attitude towards me."

"Well, it seems now you're the bitchy one," snapped Selina. "Last time I heard, you and Bruce are not an item anymore."

"Is that so?" placing a hand on her sexy hip, Talia glanced at Bruce, who had been standing still all the time. "I fail to recall that I declared that my husband is the property of any other woman. And certainly not a woman of your…" she hissed, " – class."

"Well, this classy woman sure can teach you something, Witch!" Selina showed her cat claws in such a catty way, she herself was surprised that she still had that part of her within. She thought that years of being a single mother had made her a more mature woman with reasonable attitude. Tonight was certainly proving that she still had those ways about her.

"I certainly can also teach you something, Bitch!" Swiftly, Talia grasped her Magnum, cocked the trigger, and pointed the barrel at the Catwoman. A second later, a strong hand held her.

"Talia, Catwoman, enough!" Bruce Wayne growled. "This is my Cave, and you two are not fighting here!"

Talia turned to Bruce with all her superiority. "You are my husband, Beloved. I certainly will not stand to see you fall for this –" she looked at Catwoman from head to toe. "Kitten." She smirked and returned the trigger to normal.

"I will tear you apart if you don't behave, Talia!" Catwoman hissed. "I'm not letting you speak like that to me."

"Catwoman, enough," Bruce held her hand too and looked into her emerald eyes. He resumed not unkindly. "Please? We will talk again soon."

Selina pursed her lips. She wasn't the old Selina, a woman who would just hiss and act insolently once her territory and dignity were violated. She was a better Selina now, a responsible single mother of Helena Kyle. She frowned and withdrew her whip.

"Fine! But your wife better behave after this." She swept her cowl and goggles from the console, put them back, and spun to leave. "Call Diana for me, Bruce. Tell her to call me soon." That part she did on purpose. She knew that Talia didn't like Diana, and she was more than happy to hurt the Al-Ghul woman by reminding her that Bruce loved another woman.

That worked. Talia hissed and pulled the trigger once more. "If you don't leave in five seconds, you Cat Bitch, don't blame me if your daughter has no mom."

Catwoman growled and almost leapt to claw Talia if Bruce didn't stop her. "Catwoman, Talia, enough!" He clearly lost his patience now. "Selina, leave now. Talia, behave. I'm not tolerating this in _my _cave!"

Selina locked gaze again with Talia for what looked like an eternity. "Well, thank you for saving me from Lady Shiva, you Witch. There, I've said my gratitude."

Then she spun on her heel and left with two acrobatic somersaults. Bruce turned his attention to Talia, who had entered sensuous mode once again and was leaning charmingly on the console.

"The papers, Talia. Where are they?"

She smiled. "Ah, yes. That was the reason I came here before the Bitch interrupted us." She glided toward Bruce. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kiss you now. I just want to inform you that I will return the papers, signed, if you agree to give the entire Wayne Enterprise to me."

Bruce blinked. "You're insane."

A pair of cold brown eyes met his gaze. "I assure you, I'm not. And don't you think I do this for the money, Beloved. I just want to destroy you. If you don't live with me, then you don't have your life. As simple as that."

"My lawyers are more than capable of dealing with that."

"But your lawyers don't have the unsigned divorce paper Bruce. And they don't have –" she reached into her pocket and threw a shiny item on the computer console. "This."

Bruce clenched his jaw. It was a ruby star earring, and he knew the only person on the planet who almost always wore a pair whenever she took out her silver star earrings.

"A gift from Mekong River," remarked Talia, smiling cruelly. "If you don't agree, Beloved, I can't guarantee what will happen to a dead Amazon that is dumped into the Lazarus pit for many times. And mind you, she doesn't have her Lasso of Truth with her."

Bruce turned pale. "What have Nyssa done to you, Talia? Did she put you through the pit again?! You're not yourself!"

She maintained her devilish smile. "On the contrary, Beloved, I never felt more alive." Her brown eyes sparkled. "Twenty four hours, Beloved. If the terms are not agreed upon, there will be no divorce papers. And you will lose your Amazon. But you will still have me as your wife."

She turned with a lovely spin; her green cape swirling behind her. "I will wait for the news, Husband."

With that, Talia Al-Ghul disappeared in the darkness, leaving Bruce Wayne drained and tired.

-TBC-

_Author's note:_

_I suppose I will receive another comment from Talia lovers now _

_Just allow me to continue the story, okay? I hear your concerns and explanations about Talia and her behavior and I will incorporate those in this story later on. _

_The fight between Catwoman and Talia was inspired by a silver age Batman story arc when Talia went into the Cave and warned Batman about the conspiracy against him. Later on, Catwoman stormed in to warn Batman of Talia. It was during the first appearance of the silver age Jason Todd who would then become the second Robin. Oh, and I don't think that Talia knows Catwoman's ID in real DC comics. But in this story, I just made it that along the way, Mrs. Wayne had already found out that Selina Kyle was also the Catwoman – what with Selina and Bruce are friends the way Catwoman and Batman, and hints like that. _

_Oh, and am flying back to Australia tonight! C u in the Land before Time!_


	19. Alliance

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Ch 19: Batman needs to save Wonder Woman from the Demon Maidens. He needs help, but from whom?_

_Thanks so much to my readers for their review and encouragement and to sweet A Little Summer Wine for the great beta. I don't own DC or its characters. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 19. Alliance**

"You should have informed us, Bruce."

Ignoring Nightwing's protest, Batman kept working with his computer, analyzing various data on possible locations of Talia Al-Ghul and her sister, Nyssa Raatko. His original suspicion was that they were in Nyssa's house in Russia, but his GIS analysis that used several satellites (including a minor satellite belonged to the moon-based Justice League) found no trace of significant activities there.

"Bruce, at least talk to us." This time, Donna Troy-Grayson spoke. Diana's sister had been idly standing behind the Batman for a few minutes in her starry black costume, ready to take off to any corner of the planet to save her sister. For a while, the former Wonder Girl wondered if the Dark Knight had indeed entered his dark mode of non-communication with anyone. Then, suddenly the Batman whispered,

"She's not in Saudi Arabia either."

"Well, how many pits are there in the world?" Nightwing leaned to have a closer look at the monitor. "Not so many, eh? That won't take that long to scan one by one."

"Unless they have developed a technology to hamper the League's remote sensing technologies," Batman pressed his lips in annoyance. "If any, Talia Al-Ghul would have the access to such technologies."

Surreptitiously, Donna studied the Dark Knight from where she stood behind him. She knew that Bruce Wayne and her sister had been in love for years, and the fire between them had remained despite Bruce's marriage to Talia. His current tone as he spoke of his wife gave hints to the former Titan Moon Goddess that something had gone wrong with Bruce's marriage and it might not involve Diana at all.

"How about telepathic calls?" Donna suggested. Her father-in-law nodded and sent a series of thought to a certain mind reader currently scanning the Earth from the Moon.

_J'onn, any news?_

_Negative, Batman, _Martian Manhunter's grim voice entered Bruce's mind. _It seems they use a mind hampering device._

_I was afraid of that… _Batman clenched his jaws. _Please keep tracking. Diana might be able to free herself anytime, and then contact you._

_Certainly, Batman. I will keep you informed._

The Dark Knight thanked J'onn J'onzz and continued his surveillance. He breached into the NORAD system again, and when NORAD didn't give any news, he tried the Chinese satellite.

"No luck?" Nightwing sat down next to his adopted father. He and Donna had learned of the kidnapping of Wonder Woman thirty minutes ago when a staff of Wonder Woman Foundation Indochina Region had called the Themysciran Embassy, informing the disappearance of the Amazon Ambassador. Donna received the phone call and directly alerted Nightwing, who had then suggested that they should coordinate their efforts with the Batman instead. "Bruce would have known that Diana had gone MIA. I'm damned sure about it," he had said to his panicked wife. "We just have to combine efforts with him." Now it seemed that the Caped Crusader did not want any help at all, preferring, as usual, to go it alone.

"Look, Bruce, just speak up and we'll do this together, okay?" Dick Grayson finally lost his patience. "You know what kind of woman Nyssa Raatko is. I don't need to tell you what might happen to Diana if she…" Dick pursed his lips, and then sighed. "Anyway, just tell us what to do."

Batman played with his keyboard for a while before getting up and collected his weaponry. "I need to go to Mekong, the last village where Diana was. Can't do a lot here."

"We're going with you, Batman," Donna followed the Dark Knight. "We ride together?"

"You're not going with me," Batman growled.

"What?!" Donna blinked. "Excuse me, sir, if I'm not mistaken, Diana is my sister and I have a right to help."

_And she's the woman I love…_ Batman clenched his jaw, preventing himself from confessing to Donna what he had wanted to admit for a long time. _No time for a romance. This is time for tactics_. "This is surveillance and a mission of secrecy. You're not qualified for this."

"She can fly, that certainly helps us," Dick defended his wife. "Besides, you can use my help."

"You stay here and protect Gotham while I'm gone," Batman interrupted. "Donna, you stay here as well. Diana lost you once. I don't think she wants to lose you once again."

Donna's eyes widened in disbelief. "Hey, wait a sec, Bruce. This is my sister we're talking about. And I happen to be an Amazon, hello?! Those Al-Ghul sisters will never be able to hurt me."

"You don't know them. Bad things can happen," Batman grabbed some batarangs and plastic bombs from the weaponry shelve. "I don't want Diana blaming me for not protecting her sister."

"I'm coming with you, period," Donna said defiantly, her blue eyes sternly drilled Batman's lenses.

Bruce sighed. The two sisters were indeed alike. He really didn't want to include Donna here on the exact premise he had said and yet, he might indeed need her help. He glanced at the former Troia and finally gave in.

"You and Nightwing will help only after I give you signal to join me wherever Diana is." He alternately looked at Dick and Donna, making sure that his message was well conveyed. "And not before. I need to make sure what really happened there." He raised his hand to prevent Nightwing's protest. "End of discussion. Stay in touch and I will contact you soon."

"So, you're going to Mekong alone?" Nightwing prompted.

"I'm getting help," was Batman's respond as he took long strides towards the Batwing.

-xxx-

_Washington D.C., the same night_

"Yeah, I know that Spencer can be very tough sometimes, Chief, but just lemme talk to her, okay?" Still talking on his mobile phone, Tom Tresser walked into his apartment building. He nodded to the old gate keeper and punched the elevator. "That's exactly what I said. Kate Spencer knows these women, they're her friends. She will defend them despite the circumstances." He dug into his pocket to retrieve his keys and tried to insert the key to open the door. After twice cursing the door and talking to Sarge Steel at the same time, he finally managed to open the door. He kicked the door open and entered his apartment, determined to finish his conversation with Steel now.

"Sarge, look. This is the Kate Spencer we're talking about. The very lawyer who defended Wonder Woman. She's ultra good, and she does her job out of justice." He listened to his supervisor as he turned on the foyer light, closed the door, walked to the fridge, and poured himself a fresh orange juice. "Exactly. I know the Birds nearly crossed the line this time, but I'm sure it was for a just cause." He drank the juice, walked to his blue beanbag, and resumed, "Look, I'll look into this tomorrow, okay? First thing in the morning. What? No, Gypsy's latest updates are on your desk, I've given you the package this afternoon. Just take a look at it and call me later if you can't find it." He finished his juice and sank into his beanbag. "Yeah, take care too. Don't forget to sleep."

Not waiting for Sarge Steel to disconnect the line, Tom terminated his connection and threw the mobile phone onto the other beanbag. He then sighed and closed his eyes. He just wanted a rest; he still had things to do. Yet, the day was so packed, ranging from Power Girl's fight with Solomon Grundy right in front of the Lincoln Memorial to a case of Birds of Prey that made him cross path with Kate Spencer, Diana's former lawyer. _Perhaps I'll lie down another two minutes…_

Tom Tresser dosed and drifted to sleep, only to wake up two hours later when everything was already dark. He yawned, walked into the bathroom, and took a quick shower to freshen up his mind and body. He needed to wake up another few hours to work. In many ways, it should have been good to be busy. It should have helped him in letting go of his love for Diana. Yet, working as a DMA agent and meeting so many colleagues of Wonder Woman always reminded him of her and how he could not change anything that already happened. Diana loved Bruce, and apparently the billionaire vigilante shared the same feelings for her. Tom's conversations with Bruce (and his alter-ego the Batman) had helped him to arrive at the conclusion that he could not do anything about it. Hence, his conversation with Diana yesterday after their meeting with the Australian Ambassador.

A few minutes later, Tom emerged from the shower in a better state of mind and body. He changed into a black shirt and pants and went to the kitchen to make some sandwich. Sarge had given him more homework, but he was too hungry to do that without some dinner first. He opened the fridge, bent down to retrieve some salads, ham, and bread, and almost had a heart attack when he heard a voice from behind him.

"Can you make two of those?"

Swiftly, Federal Agent Nemesis sprang, swept a knife from the kitchen table, and turned to see his intruder.

"Crap!" He sighed and retrieved his weapon. "It's you."

The Batman was standing behind the kitchen island, glowing enigmatically in the fridge light. And he wanted a sandwich?

"What are you doing here?!" After overcoming his shock, Tom glared at the Dark Knight.

"My body requires some food now. Sandwich would suffice."

Agent Nemesis blinked. "Your butler didn't feed you well?!" He shrugged and resumed making his sandwich. "You're not a vegetarian, aren't you?" Experience taught him not to press the Batman. The Caped Crusader would explain it himself later if needed.

"I passed on my dinner," was the Dark Knight's answer as he plopped on the kitchen stool. Yes, plopped, as in plopped tiredly. "No, I'm not a vegan. Ham would be good, thank you."

"Ham's always delicious," Tom responded matter-of-factly. Ignoring the intriguing fact that the Batman was visiting him in the middle of the night to ask for a ham sandwich, he continued making two sandwiches and set one in front of the Dark Knight, who only gazed at it.

"Hey, I made it with good intentions, you know." Tom snorted and ate his sandwich. He made some coffee and, again, placed one cup in front of the idle Batman. _I must be insane for doing this. I should have kicked him out ten minutes ago. _But something in Batman's demeanor raised his empathy. The Dark Knight was having a hard night, and he was intrigued enough to wait and find out the reason. "They're not poisonous, you know. You can eat and drink them."

Tom swore he could see Batman's eyes blinking behind the opaque lenses. Then, after a while, Batman reached for the coffee and sipped it. The Gotham vigilante also reached for the ham sandwich and ate it tentatively.

"They kidnapped her," the Gotham vigilante blurted out a while later. "I need your help."

Trying to digest the information, Tom Tresser blinked. "You mean…Diana?"

The Batman looked at his half-eaten sandwich as if it was an artifact of investigation. "Yes. Nyssa Raatko and Talia Al-Ghul kidnapped Wonder Woman. I need your help to free her."

"But… how? She's Wonder Woman, for God sake!" Had he really just heard what he thought he had? "You really said that –"

"Wonder Woman, Diana of Themyscira, was kidnapped by the Al-Ghul sisters." Batman set aside his sandwich. He clenched his jaw and resumed, telling Nemesis, "I'm not sure where she is now, but I will find out. And I might need your disguise expertise in the mission."

Nemesis locked gaze with the Dark Knight. "Me? Why me? You're very good too in the art of disguise. You can do that alone."

"Not if what's at stake is Diana's life. I don't mind losing my life in the process of saving her. But if I die, someone else has to take over the mission. Somebody –" Batman felt his throat clogged. "Somebody who is so in love with her, he is also willing to risk anything to save her. And I can only think of you, Agent Nemesis."

For a while, Nemesis could only stare at his coffee. "You do remember that I was your former rival, no? I almost married her before your intervention."

Batman pursed his lips and slowly nodded. "Yes, I realize that. But I also realize that it was the exact reason for you to risk anything to save her. And I need her back, Nemesis. I…" He drank his remaining coffee. "I need her, and I need her to be safe."

Nemesis sipped his coffee while trying to digest Batman's confession. He cast a glance at the Batman, considering telling him to get lost and find Wonder Woman alone.

"I realize that by giving you a chance to save Diana, you might win her heart all over again," the Dark Knight confessed. "But I need help from someone who is so in love with her; someone who is willing to risk his life to save her, or take over my duty if I'm killed in the process of saving her. Diana's life is more important. And if I were you, I would take the chance."

Tom looked at his cup. "You're insane."

"I know. You better take some clothes and your devices with you."

Agent Nemesis finished his coffee and finally looked up. "We're leaving now? Where are we going again?"

-xxx-

_Mekong River, Thursday morning_

Lily Tranh sat motionless in front of the simple hut that served as the temporary headquarters of Wonder Woman Foundation in a small village on the brink of Mekong River, about 200 kilometers northwest of Luang Prabang in Laos. She still couldn't believe that Diana had let herself be captured to save the entire village. A part-time masters student of environmental management in Hanoi, Vietnam, Lily had mainly applied for the position of the Indochina Coordinator of the Wonder Woman Foundation because she liked the nature of the work (i.e. community and women empowerment, sustainable resource management) rather than the woman herself. Her appreciate for Wonder Woman herself had grown when she met Diana a year ago during her first visit to the main Foundation headquarters in New York, and ever since, she had developed a sincere friendship with the former Princess of Themyscira.

Nevertheless, Lily had never seen Wonder Woman in action with her own eyes. It surprised her to see how Diana had defended the entire village alone from the terrorist last night, only to let herself be subdued because the armed men had threatened that they would kill the village children one by one. And who was that scary pale-faced woman? Lily had been surprised to see such hatred in the woman's eyes, for she could not comprehend how a Wonder Woman managed to generate such hatred in other's heart. But perhaps, in the world of supervillains, things were different.

"Lily?" a voice startled her. Lily looked up to see Sumvit, her Thailand colleague, reluctantly approached her. She forced a smile and asked for his intention.

"Umm…the villagers asked if we should still plan to conduct the participatory meeting tomorrow," answered Sumvit, still hesitantly. "I said that I needed to consult with you and I will get back to them later."

_Participatory meeting?! How about finding where Diana is, instead?! _Yet, Lily knew she could not do anything to help Wonder Woman. She had contacted Themyscira House, spoken directly to Donna Troy, Diana's sister, and had been told that Diana's friends would do anything to save the heroine. After that, there really was nothing she could do.

But, perhaps resuming the planned activities was exactly what Diana wanted. Lily could imagine Diana instructing her not to abandon the people and to continue with their programs, no matter what happened to her. Lily looked up to Sumvit, and then replied,

"Of course we're still on schedule. We can't let the programs here be jeopardized, can we? Diana has protected us exactly because of this reason." She got up and fixed her clothes. "Sumvit, tell the leaders that we're still on for tomorrow. And I want other villages confirmed as well."

Sumvit blinked, and then smiled. He had also seen what Diana had done for them and he had hoped that Lily would not back off and leave the villagers just like that. "Good! Diana didn't leave them. Surely we won't leave them either." He made to leave. "I will make sure everything's okay, Lily. You just take a rest for the day, have a lunch or something."

Lily nodded weakly and entered the hut. After the turmoil last night, she felt like taking a nap. Yet, she stopped dead in front of the door and gasped.

"We mean you no harm, Miss Tranh," a shadowy figure gave a calm statement in Vietnamese. "But we need your cooperation here."

"Who…" with the help of the daylight, she vaguely saw a figure with dark costume on the corner of her hut. She squeaked in her mother language, "I'll call the police!"

"Trust me, we can do better than most police forces could to save Diana," another voice came from the other corner, in English this time. "I trust that you speak English? We just need some information."

Lily turned and saw a tall blond guy in black leaning restlessly on the wall. His eyes were weary, but his demeanor did not display any hostility. She gulped, reached for a chair, and muttered in English.

"Who are you guys?"

"You can call me Nemesis. That guy over there –" he gestured to the other figure, "People think he's an urban myth. But the Batman is actually for real."

"We're friends of Wonder Woman," the Batman spoke in low tone. "I trust you can lead us to her whereabouts and save her."

Lily sat and gulped. "Okay… where should I start?"

-xxx-

_A few hours ago…_

"Wonder Woman, you brought trouble to my sister. Now it's time for us to bring you some trouble in return," a stern voice drilled into Wonder Woman's heart.

"And what exactly did I do to whoever is this sister of yours, if I may ask?" Wonder Woman squinted to study her opponent. She remembered seeing the tall short-haired figure somewhere, but could not register who she was or where they had previously met.

The tall woman approached her further; the cruel smile did not waver from her face. "You say you do not remember?" She leered and touched a lock of Diana's curl. "Lovely hair… must be why he fell for you."

"He?" The Themysciran Ambassador resisted the temptation to snap the hand out of her hair. _Who's this 'he' she's talking about? _Then, as if a light bulb suddenly went off in her head, she remembered. "Nyssa Raatko! What are you doing here?"

Retaining her smile, Nyssa let go of Diana's hair. "Ah, finally you remembered me?" She scrutinized the Amazon warrior from head to toe and smirked, "Well, you would remember my sister then, eh? And how you seduced her husband into leaving her."

Diana had read Nyssa's dossiers a few years back when she and Bruce had been getting along. At that time, Bruce had insisted on sharing almost everything that had happened to him, as the Batman and as Bruce Wayne, so that Diana could be up-to-date with anything that might happen to him. Vice versa, he had also asked Diana to feed him more information about her enemies; something that she hadn't really need to do since he had his own vast access to information of A to Z on the superhero business on Earth. Still, Diana had been touched by the friendly gesture, and told him anything and everything about her enemies.

That had been how she learned more about Nyssa Raatko and the ill-fated Talia Al-Ghul. She had known Talia, of course, from her intermittent encounters with LexCorp. But knowing the other side of Talia, including Nyssa, had raised her sympathy towards the daughter of the demon. That had also been one of the reasons of her acceptance to Bruce's marriage with Talia. Her feelings regarding their marriage problems had been mixed, but one thing remained: she never wanted to be the other woman.

Wonder Woman shrugged and stood tall. "If you're talking about Bruce Wayne and Talia, you are mistaken, Nyssa. I never did anything that jeopardized their marriage."

"Really?" Nyssa's nose ring glittered in the dark. "Including cutting off your own wedding so that Bruce had a second chance with you?"

Diana's eyes glittered in anger. "That was never my intention!"

"Ah, but the result was the same anyway! Their marriage is off, and you have your benefits." Nyssa walked to the hut entrance and gestured outside. "Which is why I'm doing this to you."

Diana clenched her fists to see that almost all women, children, and elders of the village had been taken hostage under the firearms of Nyssa's men. Many children cried under the guns while their mothers desperately tried to soothe themselves and their infants.

"To teach you a lesson." The smile vanished from Nyssa's face. "You will go down, Princess. And so will your lover. My sister and I will destroy you both, along with the entire village."

Wonder Woman squinted. "Well, you might try."

The next thing Nyssa Raatko knew, she had been on the receiving end of a punch, sent through the entrance by Diana and landing unceremoniously on the ground. She gasped and rolled to her side in an attempt to get up when Wonder Woman flew and landed at her feet. Nyssa noticed that in only several seconds, Diana had changed her pajamas into her Wonder Woman costume, complete with her Lasso of Truth, bracelets, and tiara. _Must be that famous Wonder Spin…_ she groaned inwardly._ We have to deal with it later!_

Nyssa tried to get up, but Wonder Woman was faster; the Amazon warrior seized her by the neck and said in a very low and dangerous tone,

"Let the villagers go, or you will regret it."

An ironic thought flashed in Nyssa's mind as she realized how eerily similar Wonder Woman's tone was to Batman's. Despite the strong crunch on her throat, she smirked,

"Go on, snap my neck. You've done that once before; you wouldn't regret it if you did it again," she choked and gasped. "Besides, Batman would help you, wouldn't he? He's so desperate to see me dead."

"I can imagine he might. But you're not a desperate case." Diana pressed further. "Let the villagers go!"

"Will not. And by the way –" she choked again, "You're not the only immortal creature here. I'm also immortal, thanks to Lazarus Pit."

"Yes," Wonder Woman squinted. "But your pressure points are not immune."

Then she pressed her fore finger and thumb on Nyssa's neck, effectively collapsing her. Not wasting her time, the Amazon flew towards the first group of villagers and their attackers, kicking the goons away and releasing some children and their mothers. Nyssa's soldiers were fast enough, though. In an instant, they fired at Wonder Woman at will and deliberately targeting the civilians as well. Fast and furious, Diana flew here and there, dodging bullets with her bracelets, tossing her tiara here and there to knock some soldiers unconscious, introducing her red heels to more soldiers, and releasing more villagers.

Wonder Woman continued her dodging and parrying for several minutes, until a voice stilled her heart.

"Stop right there, Amazon, or your friend dies!"

Slowly, Wonder Woman turned to see Nyssa Raatko, already awake, holding Lily Tranh with one hand while her other hand placed a large knife on the girl's neck. Diana's heart sank as she realized that the knife was indeed sharp, and a trickle of blood had started to ooze from Lily's neck.

"Surrender, or she dies!"

Diana looked Lily in the eye, and noticed that despite the girl's fear, she didn't say anything. She didn't even beg Diana to help her. Diana gritted her teeth. Her distance to Lily's spot was too far to reach quickly, even with her Speed of Hermes. Lily's neck would already be severed before she could reach the knife.

Sensing Diana's confusion, Nyssa smiled. "I have some more presents to add to your troubles, Princess."

With horror, Wonder Woman saw that some children had been dragged away from her reach, with guns pointed at their heads. There was no way she could help them, not without the Flash, Superman, or other Justice Leaguers with her. _Not without Batman, either_, she thought ironically.

"You're only looking for me," she finally spoke again. "Please, let them go. I'll go with you."

That horrible smirk again when Nyssa replied, "Of course. But we have to look after you first."

Then, suddenly, Wonder Woman screamed and slumped on the ground.

"Nice work, Ubu," Nyssa nodded.

"This stun gun can paralyze thirty elephants, Miss Nyssa." Her guard admired his own stun gun as he massaged his jaw. Wonder Woman had landed several punches to his face during the fight. "This Amazon will not wake until we arrive at the plateau."

"Shut up!" Nyssa snapped a long stern look at Ubu. "We leave now."

-xxx-

_Mekong River, Laos part, present day_

"And they took her away..." Lily Tranh sighed. "Dragged her, to be precise. Luckily, they also left us undisturbed." Unconsciously, she traced a red line on her neck. The blood had already dried up, but the scar would remain for a few weeks before it vanished. She looked up. "You will save her, won't you?"

"We will. Won't we, Batman?" Nemesis turned to see his partner who had been standing still all along. "If only we know where they went."

"Are you sure you didn't leave out anything, Miss Tranh?" abruptly, Batman spoke for the first time. "Like, where they would go?"

"I don't think so…" Lily shook her head. Then, she frowned and pursed her lips. "But I do remember the guy who shot Diana said something about… 'the plateau' or something."

Batman jerked his head up. "The plateau?"

Lily shrugged. "Perhaps I misheard it. Perhaps he didn't say that. But I remembered that woman Nyssa was pretty pissed off when he did."

"Perhaps you're right," hastily, Batman interrupted her. "I'm sure you're right." He stood tall, whispering almost to himself. "Yes, the plateau. Of course. Why didn't I think of it?"

"Of what?" Nemesis raised one eyebrow. "Find anything?"

Batman nodded. "I know where they brought her. Let's go." But then, he stopped again and spoke softly to Lily. "You rest, Miss Tranh. We will inform you once Wonder Woman is safe."

Lily nodded. "Please do. I really want –"

She was talking to herself. The hut was empty once more.

-TBC-

_Author's note:_

_Not sure if Ubu's dead along with Nyssa when their car exploded, but in this case, I assume he's still alive. Oh, and Lily's family name is a courtesy of a Vietnamese friend of mine._


	20. Claws

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future storylines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Ch 20: Wonder Woman vs the Al Ghul sisters! And the boys come to the rescue…_

_Thanks so much to my readers for their review and encouragement and to DWParsnip for the great beta. I don't own DC or its characters. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 20. Claws**

_Somewhere…_

Wonder Woman groaned and tried to open her eyes, to no avail. She felt heavy and sleepy and had a terrible pain in her arms, but she knew she had to wake up. Hence, mustering all her inner strength, she once again fluttered her eyes open and gazed dizzily at dull and dark cave walls.

She remembered her fight for the villagers on the brink of Mekong River, and a subsequent sharp pain in her back. She recalled herself slumping to the ground but nothing more afterwards. She inhaled and decided it was time to assess the situation and rescue herself. Feeling a cold wind brushing her body, she opened her eyes and looked around.

The Amazon warrior found herself standing limply on the ground of a cave. Judging from the cold air that seeped into the cave from outside, the cave would have to be located in a snowy region. She looked up and immediately noticed that her silver bracelets had been removed, and now her wrists were chained above her head; the chains were the reason she practically stood. She looked down and saw that her boot-covered legs were also chained to the ground. She also found out that her Lasso of Truth was not attached to her belt and was nowhere to be found. Instinctively, she tried to rub one arm over her forehead and her shoulders over her ears. She sighed. They also took her ruby-adorned tiara and earrings.

For Wonder Woman, those earrings were not simply fashion accessories. One of them acted as an extra Justice League communicator, and the other one was a tracking device she could put on anyone should she need to follow them. And now she lost both, as well as her boomerang-functioning tiara. She reached further up to her crown area and frowned as she realized that she was wearing another kind of tiara; a semi-circular metal device around her head. _What is this for?_

Diana looked up again to the chains over her head and tried to clank them against the wall. The chains made dull and heavy sounds that echoed throughout the cave, indicating their density and immense strength. She shook her head._ Haven't they heard that the era of chains and bonds are over with the Amazons? _She inhaled, straightened herself, and flexed her muscles…

And screamed very hard and loud!

"Hera!" she gasped after a few moments of screaming caused by electrocution. She groaned, forced her body to let go of the immense pain and opened her eyes to study her surroundings. The chains were apparently connected to hidden electrical devices that reacted to her movements. Thus, whenever she tensed her muscles, an electrical surge would attack her body, effectively diminishing her effort to escape. She frowned as she remembered the metal device she was wearing on her head. _Gorgon's spit! It might help the surge as well… _

Despite the electrical pain her body just experienced, Diana decided to relax. _Not unlike what Circe did to me… _Diana thought bitterly of the first time she was humiliated and chained by Circe, more than ten years ago in Greece. But then, Circe had told a terrible story of how the witch had orchestrated the death of Antiope, Diana's aunt and Hippolyta's sister. Diana had been so mad with anger then, she had managed to escape by stubbornly facing the immense magical electricity surge that attacked her and nearly crippled her body. Perhaps she should do that again now. _Or perhaps, it's better to contact Bruce…_

Hence, Diana focused her thoughts to the only person on this planet who was able to connect her with Bruce Wayne: the Martian Manhunter. J'onn J'onzz usually acted as a mental communication bridge among the Justice Leaguers, especially when man-made communication devices such as her communicator were lost, destroyed, or defective for some reason.

_J'onn? This is Diana. I need help. Please respond…_

She frowned. It was unlike Martian Manhunter not to answer her telepathic call immediately. She tried again several times but to no avail. She assessed her situation once more and sighed. The metal device on her head. _A mind hampering device… _she thought bitterly. _I can't contact J'onn, Bruce, or anyone…_

"Giving up, Princess?" a sultry voice from a dark corner brought her back. Diana squinted to see the person addressing her.

"Perhaps, it's time to start another game, shall we?"

The voice was very familiar. Diana's heart sank as she registered the voice. _That cannot be… _Yet, she swallowed hard and steadied herself.

"And here I thought you were resting in Tuscany," she spoke calmly. "Whatever game you're on, Talia, I'm not interested."

-xxx-

_The Himalayas_

"We're passing Pangong Tso," Batman suddenly spoke. "The greatest lake in the Himalayas, altitude 13,900 ft, 83 miles at the longest and 3 miles at the widest points. Salt water, but in winter you can go ice-skating there."

"Ice-skating. Yeah. Neat…" Nemesis looked down out of the Batwing window and saw the blue lake in the midst of snowy mountains. He shivered. "So, tell me again why we're going to Himalaya instead of Saudi Arabia?" "Snow everywhere! I didn't bring my Arctic gear!"

"Parka's down in the rear storage," The Dark Knight didn't switch his attention from the main control board. "Make yourself at home."

"Yeah, right!" Nemesis snorted as he unbuckled himself and walked along the narrow alley to the rear end of the jet. After his eyes searched for a while, he opened a compartment and extracted a large black parka from inside. "Yup, this'll do," he muttered as he brought the parka back to the co-pilot seat. "And what about Himalaya?"

Batman remained silent for a while before answering, "Years ago, when I was still just a young Bruce Wayne, I encountered Talia's father in Himalaya. When Lily Tranh mentioned the plateau, I immediately realized that it was the Tibetan plateau that they were referring to - the place where I fought Ra's Al-Ghul for the first time."

"Ra's Al-Ghul?" Nemesis blinked as he buckled himself in. "Boy, must have been fun, I bet."

"Yes, fun indeed…" whispered Batman as a flood of memories entered his mind. "If you consider sword training in subzero conditions fun. Or sword fights on a thin layer of ice, for that matter. Trust me; you'd much rather be in Nanda Parbat than in his lair." Nanda Parbat was a hidden monastery on the Tibetan plateau where Batman had also received some of his trainings.

"He trained you? That Demon Head?!"

"Sort of…" Batman clenched his jaw. "We ended up in a real fight, though. I tried to save a farmer and ended up burning and blowing up his head quarter. I saved the farmer and brought him to the nearest village and left him there under the villagers' care. He hated me for that."

"Wow…" Nemesis stretched himself and locked his hands above his head. "Bet you hadn't met Lady Talia by then, eh? Otherwise, you wouldn't have blown up his house."

Batman gave Nemesis a look. "No, I didn't meet Talia back then. But had I met her, it wouldn't have stopped me from blowing up the house to save the farmer."

Nemesis locked gazes with the Dark Knight for a while. "Really. And yet, despite what happened between you and Ra's, you still ended up marrying his daughter. You must be crazy about her."

When Batman did not respond, Nemesis shrugged. "That much, eh?"

The Dark Knight turned and, through his opaque lenses, looked at Tom in the eye. "Just be careful of Talia. She is, after all, the Daughter of the Demon."

-xxx-

"Whatever game you're on, Talia, I'm not interested," spoke Wonder Woman confidently.

"Really?" Talia Al-Ghul appeared from the dark corner. Her sultry smile remained as she approached her chained prisoner, one hand on her sexy hip. Her white cat suit enhanced her sex appeal; her billowing silky green cape added a touch of fatal attraction to her overall image. The Daughter of the Demon smirked. "I always thought you were always interested in a hunting game with me, my dear friend." With her green-gloved hand, she reached for Diana's chin and studied her. "Otherwise, why did you always chase Bruce and lure him to your side?"

"Talia, this is not you," Diana tried to reason with her capturer. "Nyssa did this to you. Let me go and we shall talk."

"Of what?" Talia's brown eyes suddenly gleamed with hatred. "Of how we would divide our Bruce? I have his body and you have his heart?!"

Diana sighed inwardly. The Talia Al-Ghul she knew was nowhere to be found. "What do you want, Talia? It's not like I did anything to your marriage."

Slap! Slap!

The brown eyes sparked again as Talia slapped Diana twice. "Shut up, you ! You seduced my Bruce, so that he no longer wanted me!" She grabbed Diana's hair and jerked the raven head backward. "You talked him into divorcing me! You destroyed my life! And if you think I will just sit tight and watch you take away my husband, you are so wrong!"

Indifferent to the fact that she was just slapped twice by Bruce's wife, Diana looked back calmly. "Proves that you are not the Talia I know. What has Nyssa done to you, Talia? You're a much better woman that this."

"Don't divert the conversation!" Talia jerked Diana's hair once more. "My sister saved me from my agony! I love her the way she loves me! And you…" she clasped her gloved hand over Diana's chin and squeezed it. "You are my number one enemy!"

"All of this just for a man?!" Diana still strived to talk calmly. "Wake up, Talia! The world is more than just about the love of Bruce Wayne!"

"That's because you have him now!" another slap on Diana's face. "But it won't last long, you know… because I have my brilliant plan!"

"And what is that, exactly?" Diana probed Talia while her mind was busy searching for any means to get out of her bonds. She also needed her lasso… though the current location of her lasso was unknown to her.

Talia smiled again as she answered sweetly. "Destroying you both, my dear… Taking over the Wayne Enterprises in a few hours… and killing you, so he doesn't fall over you anymore…"

"You think you can do that?" _My lasso… I need my lasso…_

The sultry smile was back. "Of course. Shall I remind you that you are without your bracelets, tiara, and lasso – and that you are chained? Oh, and if I still fail to terminate you, I can still take him back. After all, I have all that I need…" Talia produced a vial filled with golden liquid from her pocket. Seeing Diana's questioning look, she smirked. "You wonder what this is, Diana?"

Diana scrutinized the golden liquid as her mind busily searched for the information she needed. Information Bruce gave her a few years ago, when they had started to date. Information on his enemies…

"The vial," she said in disbelief. "The liquid you used to drug Bruce to make love with him that night…" she swallowed and continued, "…that night that gave you Damian…"

Talia arched her fine eyebrows. "So he told you, eh?" Jealousy clouded her beautiful face. "I should have known…"

The Daughter of the Demon strived for her self control. Then, as she played with the vial, she smiled again. "Doesn't matter now. Perhaps, it's better that you know what will happen to our beloved lover. It is a rather different potion, anyway. As in, more effective…"

"You are going to drug him?" Diana said in disbelief. She had heard of many things about Talia's past, but she never thought that the woman would use such a method to gain victory._ No wonder Selina hates her…_ She looked closer at Talia and her heart sank. "You've done this before, haven't you? And I mean, after that night when your father was still alive…"

Talia was studying the golden vial all along. She tilted her head, and as if just realizing that Wonder Woman was there chained in front of her, she cast her cold smile. "Why shouldn't I? After all, he has always loved me. All he needed is a remembrance of the beautiful night we had together… that fateful night when he gave me Damian… And he'd be mine again!"

Diana blinked several times, trying to digest the information. Contrary to what Talia thought, the information did nothing to raise Diana's jealousy. Instead, the Amazon found herself wondering what had made Talia Al Ghul, a woman famous for her independence, do such a thing. Her azure eyes locked gaze with Talia's brown eyes, and she found the answer.

"You were afraid that he would leave you by then!" Diana exclaimed. Then, as if pondering to herself, she continued, "Yes, that must be the reason. Nyssa had nothing to do with your decision back then; she was still dead. Or very much inactive. You did that of your own volition. And you felt… guilty afterwards. That was why you didn't fight back when Bruce gave indications that he still cared for me." Diana exhaled in wonder. "You felt guilty for manipulating him, the man you love the most."

"And I shouldn't feel that way!" Talia hissed in hatred. "I'm his wife, I'm the one he should think of, not you!" She pocketed the vial and regained her composure. "This time, I will fight for him. And if he refuses, I will destroy you and him, along with his monetary kingdom! We'll see how he can still help your Justice League with his few remaining cents afterwards!"

"I wonder how you will be able to do that…" Diana smirked, her mind calculating other ways to escape her prison and contact Bruce or the Justice League.

"Don't worry, between me and my sister, we can think of at least a dozen ways to do that!"

Wonder Woman tilted her head and squinted to see another figure approaching from the corner. She already knew the owner of the voice before the person appeared.

"I believe that Batman will be able to track down your position soon, Princess," Nyssa Raatko glanced at the chained Wonder Woman. "And when he does, prepare for a great show. Your Knight is going to rescue you, only to find that he returns to my sister instead of you."

Diana opened her mouth to give a snappy comment to Nyssa's words, but stopped midway. She just detected another person entering the cave behind Nyssa, a very tall and handsome teenager, a few years younger than Tim Drake…Robin. She examined the boy's face under the dim light of the cave and came to a conclusion. Ibn al Xu'ffasch, or literally: Son of the Bat. _Damian Wayne_, she thought. For a few seconds, Diana pondered at the similarity between Damian and Bruce, and she reached another conclusion: other than similar facial lines, dark thick hair and eyebrows, and deliberate a display of stubbornness, Damian did not inherit any of his father's valor or virtues.

"I can't wait to see Father again, Mother. I have progressed so much since I last saw him," said Damian as he approached his mother with an air of arrogance, not unlike Talia's. He raised his nose to examine Wonder Woman. He smirked. "So, this is the woman who took Father away from you?" He scoffed. "She's not that beautiful; I wonder what he saw in her. And I'm sure by the time Father arrives here –" he took a beautiful dagger from his sash. "– she will not be beautiful at all!"

-xxx-

"_Oracle to Batman."_

Batman tilted his head. "Batman here."

"_I've analyzed the satellite images I have on Himalaya, plus some physical snapshots you gave me, B," _the electronic voice buzzed in again. _"ETA: 10 minutes."_

"Coordinates?"

"_Sending now."_

Batman punched a button on his GPS control board and nodded. "Affirmative. Thank you, Oracle."

"_Need I remind you to be careful?"_

"Don't be absurd."

"_Well, perhaps an alert that my ex and the spouse is OTW to your position."_

Batman found himself cracking a smile. "You allowed that to happen?"

A hint of humor was heard on the electronic voice. _"I happen to like both of them. Oracle out."_

"Okay, so that's Oracle again," Nemesis commented. "How did he find the location, by the way?"

"Cross-referencing movements in Himalaya as of late," Batman replied while adjusting his coordinates. "Plus some geological data and physical snapshots from the Justice League satellite; Oracle found some crevices with heat signatures somewhere nearby."

"With a Lazarus Pit?" Nemesis checked his Uzi and the rest of his weaponry.

"Didn't locate one. But it doesn't mean there aren't any there." A few minutes later, Batman suddenly punched a button and groaned. "Told you not to leave Gotham yet."

"_Location is located, no reason to wait,"_ Nightwing's smiling face lit up the small video monitor.

"Donna's with you?"

"_She loves flying on my wing."_ Nightwing meant the state-of-the art of jet he got from Bruce for his wedding, which amazingly had remained undamaged so far.

Batman snorted. "Just keep from touching down right after us. Allow an hour of surveillance and attempt contact before deciding to go in."

"_Sure, B. N out!"_

Batman clenched his jaw and looked back at Nemesis. "ETA 5 minutes. We're set."

Donning his parka, Nemesis nodded. He watched as the Dark Knight guided the Batwing down into a narrow snowy valley that was easily neglected by naked eyes from the heights. Right after the Batwing touched down smoothly, Batman unbuckled himself, gathered his weaponry, and jumped out of the cockpit. Nemesis followed suit and jumped into a thick layer of snow. Behind him, the Batwing cockpit slowly hissed to a close and the jet itself switched to stealth mode.

"So… where should we start, man?"

Batman had been studying his BatPDA for a while. He walked a few steps towards a rocky wall about a mile away from their landing place. The wall was half covered with snow, glowing in the afternoon sun of Himalaya. He stopped and gestured his chin towards the wall.

"That place is a good start."

Nemesis raised his eyebrow. "And you know that because?"

"Talia gave me a piece of Diana's star earring to blackmail me," Batman started to walk. "She thought that it was only an earring, but actually it was Diana's Justice League communicator."

"So?" Nemesis shrugged and followed. "Doesn't mean that you can contact her now."

"No, I can't. Diana's communicator I have now is useless. But Talia still keeps another piece of her earring. And it's actually a GPS tracking device that Diana could put on someone or something she wants to track."

"And you couldn't track it until you arrived in the vicinity?" Nemesis blinked. "I thought your tech would be better than that."

"It should be," Batman frowned as he stopped behind a rock, a few feet away from the snowy wall. "Something must have hampered its signal. Plus –" he pointed to the snowy ground. "Look!"

Nemesis squinted to see very vague remnants of footprints approaching the wall. "Yeah, guess you're right."

The Dark Knight nodded and was about to open a compartment on his Bat utility belt when he suddenly halted. "Wait!" Then, suddenly, he pulled his friend into a nearby crevice. Realizing that Batman would not do that without a solid reason, Nemesis swallowed his protest and hid in the crevice.

"What's up?"

"Just thinking that some of them might come up soon. Then, we wouldn't need to break the entrance."

Nemesis studied Batman for a few seconds before he smirked. "Of course. We just need to bring one down."

The heroes didn't need to wait for long. A few minutes later, the wall made a noise and moved away backward, revealing a narrow entrance. Three soldiers dressed in white walked out of the cave. As the cave wall began closing, they moved in the direction opposite of the crevice where Batman and Nemesis were hiding. Yet, a while later, one of them stopped and turned towards the rock.

"Hunter! What's up?" one of his friends barked at him.

"Something suspicious, Captain," the 'Hunter' guy replied with respect. "Permission to check perimeter."

Behind the rock, Nemesis scowled at himself as he remembered his and Batman's footprints. Batman remained calm and withdrew his batarang. Nemesis took out his Uzi.

After being granted the permission, Hunter walked towards the rock. "Footprints, Capt."

"Possibly ours?" His captain shrugged and turned to walk away. "Just check it and report back in five minutes."

"Sure, Capt!" Hunter approached the rock and, upon detecting two sets of footprints, readied his weapon. He realized that the footprints led to a crevice, so he walked behind the footprints to check.

Five minutes later, Hunter got out of the crevice and yelled at his captain. "Nothing to report, Capt! It was our soldiers' footprints, all right!"

"Good. Now let's move. That brat doesn't like us to linger."

Hunter followed the other soldiers towards the open snowy field and, after twenty minutes of circling the area, returned to the wall. He lingered a few paces behind his friends and whispered to his watch,

"Just looking for a key for the brat. We're going in now."

"Key?" a voice on the other end of the line asked. "What brat?"

"A key to a very sophisticated plane, they said. Mommy's birthday gift for the Brat," Hunter sighed, "a.k.a. Son of the Bat."

In the crevice, Batman frowned. "Damian. Should've guessed he'd be here with Mommy."

"Yep." Nemesis, the Man of a Thousand Faces, smirked to his communicator watch, which reflected his new look and costume as the guy called Hunter. Satisfied with his camouflage, he added, "And for twenty minutes my friends here just couldn't stop talking about how annoying that boy is. Imagine that!"

"He's hurt my butler and my other son. He will not hesitate to hurt Diana for that matter." The Dark Knight paused and looked at the unconscious soldier, the real Hunter, next to his foot. "Be careful."

"Thanks, Bat. I'll let you know later how your son is."

Bruce winced in discomfort. "Thanks, I'll pass. I think I will see him soon, anyway."

"Yeah, that'll be interesting!" Tom looked up to answer his captain. "Comin', Capt! Just something wrong with my watch." He then whispered again. "Gotta go now. Talk later."

Then, Nemesis walked into the open entrance of the wall and felt the ice-covered door closed behind him. Resuming walking, he whispered to himself,

"Shazam! Lead me to her."

-TBC-

_Batman's story re: his training in Himalaya was taken from the 2005 Batman Begins Movie. I didn't agree with the Japanese or European version of Ra's, though. I think he should stick as a Middle Eastern, faithful to the original version._


	21. Trapped

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future story lines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Ch 21: Batman and Nemesis come to the rescue. Or do they? _

_My sincere apology to my readers whom I have abandoned all this long, indeed life has interrupted the story arc. I should not choose the 'Interrupted' title, eh? Anyway, I hope that from now on I can do justice to Bruce and Diana. Special thanks to Hepburn the great beta. I don't own DC or its characters. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 21. Trapped**

Being a warrior, Wonder Woman did not even flinch at the slashing light coming. She did close her eyes for a fraction of a second, though, despite her understanding that if her attacker wanted to destroy her eyesight, the fact that she was heavily tied up would prevent her from doing anything anyway. Yet, immediately she opened her eyes again. No blood or pain from her eyes, meaning that the knife did not impact on them. However, feeling a hot trickling blood on her cheek, she knew that the knife attacked that part of her face instead, possibly leaving a big scar.

"Pretty." It was Damian Wayne's cruel voice again as he withdrew his knife, dripping with Diana's blood. "Father would like her this way, don't you think, Mother?"

"That's enough, my dear," purred Talia Al-Ghul as she strode to her son, taking away the knife from him and licked the blood from its tip. "Delicious. Is this why Bruce loves you, Diana? For your hot Amazonian blood?"

"Could be," Wonder Woman hissed defiantly. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

"In a minute, my dear, in a minute," the Daughter of the Demon returned the knife to her son. "His great Batwing should have landed a few minutes ago, by our calculation, meanwhile; we shall prepare for the next show." 

Wonder Woman almost could not help asking "What show?", but bit her lips instead. She would not give into Talia's play. She would be observant instead, waiting for the next trap to unfold the way a warrior would. Her enhanced hearing caught faint footsteps that grew louder within seconds. Soldiers. So they truly guarded the place well. Soon, she saw several men clad in white combat uniform emerging from the dark corner of the cave. 

"My Lady," one of the soldiers reported as they approached. Upon Talia's lifted eyebrow, he resumed, "We found the key."

"Very well," was Talia's simple answer. "Damian?"

"Great!" the spoilt brat jumped ahead to grab his keys. No thanks, nothing. Not surprising, being a rich spoilt brat. "But really, Mother, I wish I could destroy the plane's door to open it. It would be awesome."

His mother tsk-ed him. "The plane is expensive, Damian. You cannot go on spoiling things like this! You've lost the spare key, and you will have to copy this one yourself!"

"Jeezz, Mother! Since when do you sound like Father?"

Talia gave her son her Al-Ghul glare. "Since I realized how spoilt you have become since I left you for Gotham! God knows that Ubu should not have let you do whatever you want to do!"

"Aunt Nyssa agrees with Ubu, as long as I trained well, she said. And I did, did I not, Aunt?"

The cold Aunt Nyssa flashed her cruel smile. "But of course. I was the one directly in charge with your training, of course you did well! In fact, your greatest test will come tonight. If you can eliminate your father, that is."

Talia sighed. "If only he would yield and return to me… Damian will not have to kill him tonight. But alas, he chooses –" she sharply returned to Wonder Woman, " – you! And thus you two have to die together!"

"I can kill him with my sword, Mother! But perhaps I will use Grandfather's sword instead! It would be much better!"

"You will not use Grandfather's sword, Damian," ignoring her son, Talia observed the blood tricking slowly on Diana's cheek. "You will use yours, instead."

"But Aunt Nyssa told me –"

"Aunt Nyssa can tell you anything, but it is I who is your mother,and you will heed to my words, and my words only!"

"Come, come, Sister…" Nyssa stepped forward between mother and son. "We shall not argue about it, shall we? How about letting Damian bring both swords? He can use his sword to fight the Batman, but Father's sword will be used for the last strike?"

Talia tilted her head. "And how will he know which one is the last strike? He will be facing The Batman, after all."

"Oh, he will know," Nyssa smiled again. "After all… he is trained under my supervision, is he not?" When her sister said nothing, the elder sister prompted again. "Is he not, Little Sister?"

Talia's eyes flashed a split second of an alien emotion that she had not displayed so far, but moments later she smiled and nodded in agreement. "Whatever you say, Sister." 

Nyssa nodded in satisfaction. "Clever Sister." Then, swiftly she turned on her heels, barked a command, "Bring the Amazon to the stage! I want everything ready by the time Batman arrives!", and left the cave, taking the cold, demonic atmosphere with her. After a moment of hesitance, Talia followed suit in silence, Damian trailing behind her. The Daughter of the Demon did not even say something bitter to the chained Wonder Woman; she was obviously deep in her thought.

The very subtle change in Talia's behavior did not escape Wonder Woman's observation. The moment Talia hesitated, Diana knew what was in the mind of Bruce's wife: jealousy mixed with anger, and masked fear. Not towards her or Bruce, but towards Nyssa. Diana realized that Talia was actually overwhelmed by Nyssa's control over her life. Talia Al-Ghul was actually not the mistress of her own life, and the Daughter of the Demon was not happy about it. Though inexplicably Diana felt sympathy towards Talia, she also knew that she had to play Talia's mixed feelings towards Nyssa if she still wanted to come out alive of whatever the Al-Ghul sisters were planning. 

"You heard Miss Talia's order!" one of the soldier's command brought Diana to the present. "Let's do it. Max, disengage the system. Hunter! Inject her."

The man called Max went to one of the nearest cave wall and flicked several buttons. Diana did not feel anything missing, but she knew that the electricity charged into her chains must have been switched off. Perhaps if she moved? She flexed her muscles again, and…screamed again!

"Aarrrghh!" her inner head seemed to explode, she would have slumped down had her body not been chained. Now, she just slumped forward, breathing heavily after another charge of electricity went through her system. 

"The 'tiara', Princess," smiled the Captain cruelly, looking up and down from Diana's alien headdress to her heaving bosoms, a mixture of lust and cruelty on his face. "Specifically designed not only to inhibit your telepathic senses, but also to send an electric charge into your system if you want to run away." He turned to Hunter and barked, "Injection, Hunter! Now!" Then, back to Diana, "This is the second layer to prevent you from escaping. We will put you to sleep for 10 minutes or so."

Dizzily, the information filtered through the incapacitated Wonder Woman. Why would they need to put her into sleep again? Unless the electricity charge from her 'new tiara' was actually less lethal? She did not feel so shocked actually with the second charge compared to the first one. Perhaps she could restrain the shock and free herself before she was put to sleep again…?

Yet, before she even gathered her willpower to face another electric charge, the soldier that was assigned to inject her had grabbed her wrist and took out the syringe. "Don't worry, Captain! She will soon drift off to Dreamland!" Yet, utterly unexpectedly, he whispered, "All good!"

Diana blinked. This 'Hunter' said the 'all good' the way Jim Carey said it in his comedy movie _Bruce Almighty_. And that movie was…Tom Tresser's favorite. Diana looked up and saw a pair of hazel eyes smiling at her… and immediately she knew that everything would be okay. _The cavalries are here._

"All good, Captain," resumed 'Hunter'. "In a few seconds, she will sleep…" he made a move to inject the needle to Wonder Woman, but suddenly and unexpectedly turned and threw the syringe to one of the soldiers behind him instead. "Not!" The syringe stabbed his right chest, making the poor soldier slump into slumber sleep. 'Hunter' then swiftly grabbed his weapon and started firing at other soldiers. "You will not touch her! No one will!" He moved to protect Diana, his hand reached to her 'tiara' to throw it away, but –

"Aarrrghhh!" Wonder Woman screamed again, louder this time. Apparently, realizing that 'Hunter' was an impostor, the Captain quickly made a move to render Wonder Woman helpless by triggering the electricity charge in the 'tiara'. 

Before long, 'Hunter' found himself surrounded by all the soldiers in the cave, impeding his effort to save Wonder Woman. Not giving up, he fired twice before reaching to his communicator. "Breached, Batman! Request help!"

His machine beeped almost immediately. _"On my way! Hold on!"_

Then, 'Hunter' switched a button in his collar. Green gas puffed up and his face turned into Nemesis' almost immediately as he maneuvered to protect Wonder Woman that was now crouching and screaming, struggling to take off the tiara with her chained hands. Tom would have been more than happy to grab the tiara away, but the alarm had gone off, and more and more soldiers entered the cave. Diana would have to hold on herself as he had to get rid of the enemies. 

Yet, unexpectedly, a series of spheres were thrown from somewhere. The spheres immediately puffed thick curtains of gas that created coverage for Nemesis and Wonder Woman as a swift black flash cut through the air, implanted itself in Diana's chain and exploded, destroying the chain with accurate precision. A swinging shadowy figure reached down to her and grabbed the electric 'headdress' from her. The swinging figure screamed as he touched the electrocuting device, but nonetheless relentlessly yanked and threw it away from Wonder Woman before he landed his boots on several soldiers, knocking them down in the process.

With the few seconds disturbance, Tom had the precious time to grab Diana and dragged her behind some stones, securing her position. "You okay?" His hazel eyes worriedly checked her. "Stay here, Diana! Don't move!"

"Tom…" gasped Diana, "…thank you…"

"No problem! Gotta help Batman now, bye!" Swiftly, Nemesis returned to the battle field where Batman was introducing his roundhouse kicks to several soldiers and breaking the hinds of two other ones. Not missing the party, Tom turned to his nearest opponent, the Captain, and landed a loud jab at his jaw. "Here's for what you did to Diana!" he screamed and turned to make a roundhouse kick, sending the Captain collapsing on the nearest wall. He then quickly regrouped with the Dark Knight, slowly made circling movements to observe the incoming flood of soldiers.

Wonder Woman actually needed a few minutes before her strength was restored. Relaxing her breathing, she observed two men in her life fighting for her. Nemesis, man of her past, and Batman, man of… she did not even know. But one thing she knew: she cared about both of them. Yes, she loved Batman more than life, more than herself. But she also cared for Tom that much, she could not forgive herself if both men died because of her. Hence, mustering her willpower, she ignored her painful muscles and jabbing headache and moved forward to help Batman and Nemesis. 

"Diana!" Obviously, Nemesis disagreed. "Get out of the way!" 

When she still moved forward by grabbing two guns from a fallen goon to fight, Batman swung over, rolled her down, blocked her from the enemies with his Kevlar-lined cape, and growled, "You don't have your bracelets and other weapons. Stay away!"

"Batman –"

The Dark Knight had followed Nemesis with remote video attached in Nemesis' glasses since his friend entered the cave. Just as he entered the cave, Nemesis had heat-scanned the opening panel so that the Gotham detective could open the cave from outside using the codes that had been just used. Batman had seen the chained Wonder Woman through Nemesis' hidden camera in his glasses, including the dripping blood caused by Damian's knife. He knew that Tom wanted to wipe away the blood from Diana's face. He knew that Nemesis was angry because of what they had done to Diana, and how he had to mask his anger. But he also bet that his friend did not know how furious the Batman was to see scars left by his own son on the face of the woman he loved the most. As the Dark Knight decoded the entrance password, he had to still his heart so that he did not blow the cave door instead and ransacked the Lair of the Demon before Tom could secure Diana's safety. 

And now the Batman would not let Wonder Woman hurt again. 

"You are hurt, Diana! Stay away!" Veiled by his opaque lenses, his eyes scrutinized Diana's scar. "For me, if not for yourself!"

That stopped Wonder Woman for a few seconds and gave Batman some time to dodge some kicks and, still protecting her with his cape, maneuvered her to a crevice in the wall. But then she stopped him and looked him in the eye. Here he was, the love of her life, the very person whom she always thought of, always missed, fighting for her life. And he did not want her to help him? Did he not know that if he was hurt, she would also feel the pain mentally? _Stubborn Bruce._

Diana cast one of her sweetest, most blinding smile, and caressed Bruce's unshaven jaw. "Thank you. But I will not stay still if it jeopardizes your safety, Bruce…" she then gestured towards Tom, who was fighting for his life. "Not if it puts our friend in danger. I need to help. Let me help."

Batman needed a few seconds to agree. "Deal. But care and finding your weaponry first are top priorities."

"Deal!" A quick, passionate kiss, was the next thing Batman got from Wonder Woman before she detached herself (too soon, to his excited mind) and fired again at some soldiers, helping Nemesis in his cover.

-xxx-

"This should keep her busy for a while," said Nyssa Raatko as she observed the various guns they prepared for Wonder Woman. She turned her attention to an enigmatic glowing light a few feet in front of her. There was a steel jetty there, protruding to a large hole that emanated the glowing light. The Lazarus Pit.

"It will be an interesting show, won't it, Sister?" Nyssa prompted Talia, who had been standing idly next to her for the last few minutes. "Watching the Amazon fighting for her life over and over again, and yet always failing. Dumping her again and again into the Pit, until she has lost consciousness and becomes our ally. Her joining us will amplify our power greatly."

Not receiving any comments from her sister, Nyssa turned to Talia. Her 'little sister' was currently gazing idly at the enigmatic light with unreadable expression. Wondering if somehow Talia had a change of heart, Nyssa prompted again. 

"Talia! Are we ready for Wonder Woman? You can do the killing, you know? Doing things that you could not do with Father before."

Slowly, Talia Al-Ghul tilted her head to face her elder sister. "But of course. I am more than ready to do that." She then adjusted her position to face Nyssa squarely, her cold brown eyes drilled into her sister's dark eyes. "You see, Sister, you always think that I am incapable of killing, just because I failed to kill Father years ago. But I am not the same girl anymore. I am now a woman capable of getting rid of everything that obstructs my way." _Including you_ was something she said in her heart, but not articulated.

Releasing a split second of relief, Nyssa nodded in satisfaction. She had always prepared herself in case Talia changed her heart and became the weak woman who cried over her past again. But it seemed that her sister grew stronger and stronger each day, into a real Al-Ghul. Perhaps she should not be worried that Talia would regret returning to the clan. Perhaps… she should be worried instead that Talia would grow too strong for her to handle…

"_My Ladies!"_ a buzzing intercom interrupted her musing. Annoyed, Nyssa Raatko pressed the intercom button and barked, "What!"

"_Intruders! Batman and another guy are here to release Wonder Woman!"_

"But that's what we've been expecting, idiots! Move on and beat them! You cannot lose if you have three hundred soldiers here defending the place!"

A bit taken aback, the soldier tried to reason._ "But they've incapacitated lots of our men!"_

Rolling her eyes, Nyssa reprimanded, "That's why he's called The Batman! Now move it and call more troops to defeat them. They're only two, against three hundred!"

"_Er… three, My Lady. Wonder Woman is fighting, too!"_

Gritting her teeth, Nyssa made a quick decision. "Remind me to fire you once it's over. I'm coming there myself!" She disconnected the line and turned to Talia for back up. The said woman already stood tall, checking her two guns.

"Ready when you are, Sister," Talia smirked. 

Inexplicably, Nyssa disliked the smirk.

-xxx-

The battle was uneven. True, on one side Wonder Woman had Batman and Nemesis to help her escaping. True, she can fly around everywhere to attack their enemies, but she was without her indestructible bracelets, tiara, and lasso, and she had to be extra careful not to get hurt. Had it been a sword fighting, it would be much easier for her. She had the Speed of Hermes, which is almost on par with Flash's speed. But, facing more and more soldiers pouring in, she knew that they had to think of a way to get out of here considerably unhurt. 

Wonder Woman glanced at the Batman. He was bleeding in several places, one of them in his left arm, but kept on fighting with his hands, feet and batarangs. She was also bleeding; bullets had brushed her skin in several places. She ignored the pain and turned to see if Nemesis was all right. He wasn't, for his white parka had stained blood everywhere. They were truly outnumbered.

"We need to get out of here!" she yelled at her comrades.

"Can't say I disagree!" Nemesis commented while dodging another attack and fired at another soldier, sending him down at once. He maneuvered behind Diana to refill his ammo while she fired to protect him. "I'm running out of ammo! Any ideas, Batman?" 

"Fly us out of here, Diana!" Batman threw some spheres that soon exploded thick gas. "We should find your weapons; they could be with the Al-Ghuls!"

"Should have done that a few minutes ago, shouldn't we?" Diana scooped the two men. She positioned Batman on her back, letting him covering her bleeding body with his Nomex-Kevlar cape, and took one of Nemesis' arms. "Let's go!"

Wonder Woman soared into the cave's high ceilings, avoiding the firing range below. "I don't see any other exit than the one guarded down there!" It was true that the only entrance and exit of that cave was full of soldiers. Seemingly, that small cave was truly designed to hold prisoners.

"Duck down as fast as you can and attack the exit! Nemesis and I will do the rest!" 

Nodded again, the Amazing Amazon soared higher, then with a sharp turn, she ducked down to the exit. As they approached the ground, Batman exploded some more gas spheres and Nemesis fired at the soldiers on guard. The combination of Wonder Woman's speed and the heroes' attack made way for their escape, through a pack of gunned soldiers into an open hall with high ceilings. Cold Himalayan wind breezed into the hall through cracks on the ceilings. As she saw at least three other exits at the end of the hall, Wonder Woman slowed down a bit. 

"Which way?"

"Left," Batman said.

"Right," was Nemesis' bid.

Wonder Woman sighed. "Should I take the middle?"

"Left," said the Batman. "It has fewer footsteps than the other two. It might lead to a more important, private place than the other two."

"Makes sense," she commented and sped up, entering the left exit._ When did he not make sense, anyway?_ Yet, it was not for long when she took them through a long alley when they were blocked by some more soldiers. 

"Seems like the other exits were better choices," Nemesis scoffed as he filled his guns again. "The usual attack?"

Batman shook his head. "The ceilings are too low. You have to drop us, Diana."

Wonder Woman nodded and dropped the two men before she flew again to make the first attack, punching three soldiers at once, grabbed their weapons and fired at the other soldiers. Behind her, Batman almost broke the jaws of two soldiers as he introduced his right jab and Taekwondo kicks. She heard Nemesis' battle cry as his Magnum and Uzi spilled bullets everywhere. Then, she saw flashes of lethal light that made her ducked low and grabbed the nearest soldier to her, effectively making him a shield. The soldier gasped as two knives stabbed his back, and he soon slumped down to death. 

Having no time to be sorry for the soldier, Wonder Woman rolled aside and sprung on her feet. She did not need to guess who threw the knives, for her assailant spoke soon. 

"So I see that you've freed yourself! Father helped you, I take it?" Ibn Al Xu'ffasch a.k.a. Damian Wayne smirked as he stepped into the alley. The fighting suddenly stopped as he entered the battle field. "Good. I cannot wait to fight him now. But perhaps beating you first would be a pleasing thing, too."

"Damian, stay away from her!" the Batman suddenly appeared next to Wonder Woman. "You will not touch her again!"

"I'm your son! She's… a &#&#! Why do you choose her over me!"

"And over me," another voice seconded the Son of the Bat. "His own wife."

Taking out his batarang, Batman squinted. "Talia. You should know that you cannot hold us too long here."

"Really? After all these years, when I am finally are able to unit our family together under one roof…do you think I will let you go that easily?" 

"This is NOT you, Talia! Snap out of it! Don't you see that your sister is using you!"

Talia laughed merrily. "My dear Beloved! Do you think I'm a little girl that cannot take care of herself? That I always need my sister to tell me what to do? Well, you're wrong." She approached Batman sensuously and dangerously. "For I actually was the one who planned what we will do to you and her once we catch you."

"Oh, and do you think you can catch us?" this time, Wonder Woman prompted.

"Shut up, #&#! And just see what I have for you two now." Talia looked at the end of the alley behind Batman and Wonder Woman. "Oh, you three, actually. I forgot we already captured this impostor."

Dragged along the alley was a half-conscious Nemesis. He was bleeding from his nose and his temple was swollen blue. Ubu, the man who dragged him, flashed a cruel smile as he pointed his gun on Tom's temple. 

"I would surrender if I were you," this time, Nyssa Raatko emerged on the stage. The alley light glinted on her nose ring as she approached Nemesis. "So this is the man you were about to marry before you took my sister's husband, Witch?" She kicked Nemesis hard on the jaw; the man fell on the floor with but a grunt. 

"Don't call her that!" he still managed to mumble with his bleeding teeth. "You are the Witch , you know that!"

Nyssa glared at Tom. "Shut up! Don't you know she left you for that man,my husband!"

"Not your business!" Tom yelled back and prepared for another kick from Nyssa. But at the same time, Diana shouted.

"Stop it, Nyssa! Your business is with me, not him! Let him go!"

"Wonder Woman is right," Batman added. "Let Nemesis go. It's us you want, not him."

A glint of gratefulness shone on Nemesis' hazel eyes. Yet, he clenched his jaws. "Nonsense. Batman, our mission is to free Wonder Woman. It's almost done. I will not let myself jeopardize the mission!"

"And I will not let you die here," Diana calmly replied, her azure eyes softly locked into Tom's hazel eyes. She had loved him as a man before, she loved him as a friend now, she would not let him die. Period.

Batman said nothing, but he dropped his batarang. "You win this time," he glared at Talia.

"But it won't be long," Wonder Woman resumed his sentence as she dropped her own guns. 

"Really!" Talia Al-Ghul flashed her cruelest smile. "I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you."

Then, two electrical streams were fired on Batman and Wonder Woman from behind them. Both screamed hard and slumped almost the same time as their bodies failed to withstand the electric current. Body trembled with anger, Nemesis watched as his comrades fell in front of his eyes. He then turned sharply to Talia. 

"Why did you have to do that! One is your husband, the other used to be your friend!"

"Exactly because of that, Agent Tresser!" Talia still exhibited her smile. "And I was surprised that you did not take the same position as I am. In fact, we should cooperate together in this case, as they have hurt us both!"

"I'd rather eat glass!"

Talia's brown eyes flashed with hatred. "Well then, it's your choice. You're disposed!"

The next thing Tom Tresser felt was a sharp hit on his head. Then pitch darkness.

-TBC-

_Author's note:_

_The Nemesis that I've been writing here actually is actually more of the pre-crisis incarnation. He is not as somber and aloof as the pre-crisis Nemesis, but he's also not the rather jerk Nemesis that I've been reading so far in Wonder Woman vol. 3. Of course, I believe that Gail Simone will write an interesting Nemesis, but I still much prefer the pre-crisis one, the one who fought with the Batman in several cases, and the one who 'died' in the Potomac River. _

_The Speed of Hermes. Now THIS is rather problematic. So far I know, it's only stated vaguely that Hermes' velocity is about the same with the Flash. But the thing is Flash is the Fastest Man in the Universe. So… if Wonder Woman has the Speed of Hermes, and it's about the same with the Flash, does it make her the Fastest Woman in the Universe?_

_As I am not sure, I went with the moderate option. WW is fast, but not as fast as the Flash. Even she cannot beat hundreds of gunmen. Eventually, she would have to surrender, or find another way to escape._

_Next: how can the heroes escape, this time? And pray that I can make it quick :-D_


	22. The Cold Inferno

Wedding: Interrupted

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future story lines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Ch 22: Wonder Woman is recaptured, along with the Batman this time! Nemesis is eliminated. Featuring Nightwing, Donna Troy, and her Lasso of Memory (!)._

_Special thanks to Hepburn the great beta. I don't own DC or its characters. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 22. The Cold Inferno **

Tom Tresser tried to open his eyes, but they were too heavy even to flutter. He knew that they had dragged him along the icy cold alleys; the chill made his bones scream, and he thought they would dislocate his arms from the sockets by the way they dragged him. With memories of the last fifteen minutes flashing in his mind, he felt the familiar chill of death grasping him. He had felt the sinking feeling of death before, but never this cold. At least in Russia or by the Potomac River, he had been alone. He had not been in a mission to save the love of his life, or so he thought. Unlike now, the love of his life was about to experience hell, an unidentified hell, but a hell nonetheless, and he was dragged outside without a single shred of strength to fight back.

_She has the Batman anyway,_ Nemesis muttered inaudibly to himself. _Who was also held captive. Heh, not my business. She has chosen him, and she's gonna die with him. Sweet. _He coughed when icy cold wind entered the aisle as the guards opened the icy door. _Not sweet. She's still my friend. And I failed her. _

Tom was about to feel sorry for himself when the guards threw his body to the cold snow outside. He was already stripped of his parka (they needed to check his other weapons, and basically just to render him useless), and now he was trembling in the cold as he tried to get up.

"Don't even try, hole!" one of the soldiers banged his rifles at Tom's temple, sending him tumbling down the snow again.

Tom only grunted as he plunged his temple a few more seconds into the snow. It was damned cold, his cells practically burned by the subzero temperature, but it would also heal the pain. He used one hand to haul himself up, but received a heavy blow again, in the stomach this time. He gasped and crouched as air left his lungs.

"Enough!" said another guard. "They said we need to be quick. Let's just finish this."

"But I wanna make him suffer, man!" another one objected. "Look what he did to me!"

Even with only one eye opened, Nemesis knew he was facing the real Hunter, the guy he and Batman knocked out almost an hour ago._ So he escaped… or perhaps his friends freed him. Doesn't matter. He seems to enjoy the show._

Nemesis heard Hunter's friend muttering something inaudible before saying, "Okay, okay! Look, here we go. You do the deed, and then you'll be satisfied, no? But make it quick, they're waiting for us."

Tom did not need to look at Hunter to know that he was not truly happy with the short amusement, but he had no choice.

"Whatever," Hunter scoffed. He cocked the gun and aimed at the bleeding Tom Tresser.

Tom tried not to blink, but finally he closed his eyes. _Here we go. Sorry Diana, I can't help you anymore. You take care, yeah?_

A flash of light came towards him. But not directed at him, for Hunter suddenly collapsed aside with a mere grunt. Wondering what saved his life, Nemesis tried to open his eyes. It was still a blur, but he saw his capturers knocked out to the ground one by one in what seemed less than one minute.

"Thank God we came on time, Agent Nemesis," a very familiar voice greeted him. Tom looked up to see a gloved hand help him up.

"Don't move him yet, Nightwing," said another familiar voice, a woman's this time. "He's badly injured."

Nemesis's battered lips formed a thin smile. "Am okay, Donna. Thanks Nightwing." He moved an inch and winched. "We need to go back to save them."

His voice trailed off as he collapsed in Donna Troy's embrace.

-xxx-

"He needs to rest," said Nightwing as he laid Nemesis' unconscious body on an emergency platform inside Nightjet, Nightwing's sophisticated jet bought by his adopted father a few years ago.

"Right. But we need to go in and help Bruce and Diana." Donna applied hydrogen-peroxide to Tom's bleeding temple to clean the wound. "You can always blow the entrance with your plastic bomb."

Dick Grayson shook her head. "No, we're going to lose the element of surprise. If I'm deducting right, Talia was already prepared for Batman's arrival, hence he lost the first part. But she would not think we would come to the rescue. And we must not lose that element of surprise."

"Wouldn't she track the Nightjet before we arrived?"

"Unlikely, for I already activated the thermal shield before approaching. Bruce might have done that too late, though." Dick checked the Nightjet dashboard to ensure his shield was still on. "Activating the shield, I mean. It's atypical of Batman to forget, but once or twice he might fail as well, I guess."

Donna reached for povidone-iodine and applied it before bandaging Tom's temple. "Still, we need to get into the cave quickly, Dick."

"We can't, if we have no further information on the inside security. And Tom cannot tell us; he's unconscious."

Donna rolled her baby blue eyes. "Duh! And we can't wake him up."

"No –" Dick gestured to Donna's hip. "– but we can use your lasso."

Donna glanced at her lasso coiled on her right hip. "It can only work when the person is awake, Dick. You know that."

"Yes, but because we've never tested it, Don. Coeus did not say that the lasso would never work on sleeping or unconscious person? I think, as long as the person is not dead, his brain still retains his memories, and you can access it."

Pondering her husband's words, Donna's mind strayed to a time a few years ago when she, Wonder Woman, and Wonder Girl went to another dimension to retrieve Paradise Island from Oblivion. In order to reach the dimension where Paradise Island was, they needed to travel from one dimensional gate to another. One of them was a Nexus that connected Earth and Tartarus. But the sisters encountered no problem at all, for the only figure they saw in the Nexus was Coeus, the Titan God of Moon, also the God of Intelligence.

Although Donna Troy used to have bitter memories with the Titans of myth, Coeus was an exception. True, the Moon God once deceived her into marrying him and making her a tool to destroy innocent lives on the Planet Mynossys, but then he redeemed himself by helping Donna defeating Hyperion, Thia and the other Titans . In the end, Coeus sent himself to Tartarus to ensure that his Titan siblings would not escape and make more troubles in the universe.

Donna remembered Coeus's countenance that time: glowing despite his eternal task of safeguarding Tartarus. He said that he was very happy to meet her again, but time was short, and the Nexus would close again, sending the Amazon sisters to another dimension.

"Our time is short, my dear Troia. But it is enough to let me do what I want to do." Coeus floated towards the Amazon sisters. "As it seems that you are the only one who does not posses a lasso –" the God glanced not unfriendly at Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl, who each had their own lassos attached to their hips, "– and that I learned that you would be passing the Nexus, I took the liberty to make this."

He produced a silvery rope out of nowhere and declared, "The Lasso of Memory. I forged it myself with a fraction of Mnemosyne's amulet I confiscated from her when she tried to escape a while ago. Infusing it with my own power, it makes an unbreakable lasso that can extract memories of a person or a being tied up with it, or to retrieve forgotten memories from the person." Mnemosyne was the Titan of Memory who had manipulated Donna's mind after she had been killed by a Superman robot almost ten years ago. "Consider it a rematch with Mnemosyne," the Moon God cracked a joke. "And the lasso will be very useful for your adventures. But you cannot manipulate anyone's memory. Not that I think you will, my dear."

Donna cast her bright smile as she hugged Coeus gratefully. She had missed her former God-husband, actually, and it was nice to meet him in the Nexus, though unexpectedly as well. She caressed Coeus' stubbled cheek as, through the corner of her eyes, she saw another dimensional gate opened for her and her sisters. She only had time for another hug and thank-you before Coeus ushered her and her sisters to the gate. Coeus's body was then engulfed in the silvery oblivion. The only proof of Donna's short encounter with him was the silver lasso.

And now, caressing the Lasso of Memory on her hip, Donna considered the possibility of tracing back Tom's memory to find out what happened inside the ice cave. True, she had never used the lasso on anyone unconscious before, but it was merely because of her assumption that it would not work on an unconscious person. _It's time to test it out, then._

Donna Troy detached her lasso from her silver belt that went well with the black starry uniform she usually wore for combat. She tied her lasso to Tom's uninjured wrist and, holding the lasso with one hand, said, "Tom, I need you to tell me what happened since you arrived here until the moment before we found you outside the snowy cave."

Immediately, the silver lasso glowed from within, emanating silver-moon light that was soothing and ethereal at the same time. Donna Troy-Grayson closed her eyes as a flux of Tom's memory entered her mind. Right then, her mind saw everything that Tom had seen with his eyes, from the time he and Batman stepped out of the Batwing until the time he was slammed unconscious by a soldier in front of Talia Al-Ghul Wayne. Tom's memory continued to enter Donna's mind, blurry this time, for he had been unconscious as the soldiers dragged him out of the cave.

Then the connection ended. Donna silently thanked Tom for allowing her to 'peep' into his mind before she turned to her husband.

"We need to go now. They're in a great danger."

-xxx-

Batman stirred before opening his eyes with considerable difficulty. The first thing that came to his mind as he became conscious was Wonder Woman. He remembered that she had collapsed next to him, a reminiscent of their fall during the Obsidian Age battle in the 1,000 BC Atlantis. And now, _Where's Diana?_

He only needed a few seconds to realize that he was lying, heavily chained, at the brink of a Lazarus Pit. He did not wear his cowl and utility belt. He should have been worried that his identity was exposed, but he cared less. His eyes looked around him before he saw what he did not want to see a few feet away from him, across the Pit.

Wonder Woman, Diana of Themyscira, was tied up with her own lasso at a steel jetty protruding above the Pit. Several guns were aimed at her, and since her feet were only about twenty feet above the glowing chemical of the pit, the guns were tilted at certain angles to ensure precise shots.

Still unconscious, yet bathed in the ethereal glow of the Lazarus Pit, Diana actually looked beautiful and magical, despite her captive condition. Bruce's heart sank as he realized the danger he had put her in. Had he been more careful, he would have implemented better precautionary actions to prevent Diana's kidnapping. But even he could not predict what moves the Al-Ghul sisters might take, and now what he could do was merely damage control.

Damage control… he was chained helplessly and Diana's life and mental health were at stake. Talia had warned him before, but Bruce had had no stomach to picture what she could do to Diana with the help of Lazarus Pit. But now, faced with the harsh reality in front of him, he had to admit that his wife had truly changed, and there might be no trace of the old Talia he knew and had married.

"Ah, so our Knight has woken up?" Batman did not need to look up to understand that it was Nyssa Raatko speaking. He did not even flinch when Nyssa kicked his stomach. "Happy with what you see, Detective? You surely know by now what we want to make of the Amazon Princess."

Batman hid the fact that he almost ran out of air as the result of Nyssa's kick. Instead, he replied, "This is between you sisters and me, Nyssa. Let her go."

"Not a chance! You don't know how I've waited for this day: to see Batman and Wonder Woman defeated by the Daughters of the Demon!" Nyssa clasped Batman's chiseled jaw with her slender yet cold fingers. "Most importantly, how you will adhere to my sister's wish as she administer her famous potions…"

"Snake!" hissed Batman. "I'd soon rather die!"

"Tsk! Bruce, Beloved… why do you say such a thing?" This time, it was Talia's seductive hiss that reached Batman's hearing. "She is my sister, after all. Don't say anything bad about her…" The tall slender brunette approached Batman who immediately frowned. Talia did not wear her white jumpsuit. Instead, she wore a very sexy low cleavage, low back, white silk dress, much more suitable for a nuptial night than a battle. She still had her green cape, which gave a sexier touch to the long dress that showed a considerable amount of her legs through the pelvic-high seams. It was clear that she wanted to have Batman right there and soon.

Even Nyssa disagreed with her clothing. "Talia! I do not think wearing such a dress is necessary now. You will have him soon, anyway!"

"Oh, but you are mistaken, Sister!" with high authority voice, Talia disagreed. "You see, we have no guards here. They are all outside the cave as I have ordered before. Even Damian is not here to see what will happen. I am very considerate about this. It will be only between me, my beloved husband, and that Wonder Wh0r3 over there that a minute before her death will see, with her own eyes, me making love with my legal husband. And of course, the fact that she was tied with an unbreakable Lasso of Truth renders her ability to escape, physically and mentally." Talia flashed a cruel smile that made not only Batman winced inside, but Nyssa seriously consider her sister's sanity.

Yet, Nyssa quickly regained her composure and snatched away the authority her sister took from her. "If you are going to do that, Sister, you at least have to consult with me first! Getting rid of the guards is a very unwise step to do!"

"Oh, you prefer them watching me making love with my husband?" Talia challenged seductively. "Oh, but you are welcomed to see it, if you'd like. As far as I remember, you have not laid for a long time, have you?"

That was too far for Nyssa. "You!" Yet, as her eyes caught the unreadable expression of the Batman, Nyssa calmed herself. "Enough, Talia. I'm not your enemy here –" her finger swept from Batman to Wonder Woman. "They are! So snap out of it and help me finish this game!"

"I will," said Talia dangerously, "– if you stop questioning my choices."

Nyssa swallowed her pride. Wonder Woman would regain her consciousness soon, and there was no point in arguing with Talia now. "We'll talk about it later."

"After I deliver my second baby from Bruce months later," replied Talia carelessly as she almost harshly brushed Nyssa off and approached the Batman. The Dark Knight cringed as he recognized Channel No. 5, Talia's signature fragrance attacking his olfactory senses. The perfume was indeed a classic, but Talia's attitude made it repulsive for Bruce.

"Talia, whatever you want to do, stop it!" he still tried to reason with her. "It's not you!"

"On the contrary, Beloved, I have never been myself until the last few days! Particularly, until now!" Then she planted a very passionate French kiss on the Batman, who struggled not to open his mouth. "Resisting me, do you?" Talia's brown eyes flared with excitement. "Well, don't worry. Why don't we relax, eh?" her hands trailed to Batman's hair. When the Dark Knight flinched, her one hand suddenly attacked a pressure point at his neck, making him gasp due to the unusual pain at the specific point. Not wasting a second, Talia poured a vial into Batman's mouth and closed his mouth with a kiss, effectively stopping him from expelling the liquid out. She then let the Batman go and smiled.

"Done. Very easy, if you cooperate, Beloved."

"You!" Batman trembled with anger as he desperately tried to get the poison out of his system. In his utility belt, he had a pill that would trigger vomiting; but his belt was nowhere to be found. "You snake!" He tried to break out of the chain with no luck. His vision blurred again, and he started to see Talia as a goddess whose dress he wanted to rip off and whose body he wanted to claim. Roaring like a lion in psychological pain, he desperately attempted to shake the fantasy away.

"Gorgeous snake," Talia smiled. "Just wait, husband. In one minute, you'll be begging to be released from the chain to bed me. In fact, I will unchain you soon. It is a quadruple dosage, after all." She waited until Batman stopped fighting and started to look at her with blurry and feral gaze. Talia Al-Ghul Wayne smiled as she unchained the Batman. He did not move at first, but later he reached his naked hands at Talia and whispered her name in lust.

Flashing a victorious smile to a disgusted Nyssa, Talia reached back at Bruce and straddled him. She sighed in pleasure as her wet valley caressed Bruce's enlarged member. She tightened her thighs and rocked back and forth as he embraced her tight and called her name again, huskier and with heavy breath this time. Then she opened her eyes, glanced at the pit, and stopped her rocking movement. She smirked. "Ah! Wonder Woman is awake already!"

Diana had indeed woken up a few minutes ago as Talia gagged Batman with the potion. She instantly knew what danger was ahead of her when she scanned her surroundings, but her concern was more on the Batman, not herself. She knew what Talia was doing to Bruce, and she was worried. Not about herself, but about Bruce and Talia. For Bruce would never forgive Talia for poisoning him again, and Talia would never forgive herself should she return to her normal state of mind, away from Nyssa's influence. It was true that when Talia started to rock back and forth on Bruce's lap, Diana felt an intense jealousy crept into her heart. But the jealousy lasted for only a few seconds, for the Lasso of Truth tied to her arms reminded her that Bruce was poisoned, and hence his choices were stripped out of him. Hence, when she later spoke, it was with her pure consciousness.

"Talia, stop it! Do you think you can win Bruce back with this? He will hate you and himself for what you two will do! And you will hate yourself once you regain your awareness!"

"Oh, shut up, Princess! I'm tired of your preaching!" Talia swept away a lock of her hair. She sighed and giggled as the Batman kissed her passionately. "Oh, Beloved… patience. We have a nuisance here to take care of." Then, stealing a breath, she turned to Nyssa. "Sister, dear Sister –" She stroke Batman once more and sighed at his pleasing grunt before she added, "Shut the Amazon up, please!"

Despite her extreme dislike at her sister's arrogance, Nyssa knew that they had to bring Wonder Woman down as soon as the warrior woke up. Hence, she just rolled her eyes, pushed a button at the main panel next to her, and immediately activated dozens of guns surrounding Wonder Woman. Within seconds, the guns would fire at the Amazon warrior who was tied up with her unbreakable lasso.

But the unbreakable lasso was tied up to a breakable jetty. Wonder Woman realized that she could not do anything to save the Batman. He had to save himself. Hence, switching her concerns to self-defense mode, she started to swing her body left and right, and she soon made a full circle of movement with her lasso and body as the pendulum, attached to the jetty. She accelerated her circle, for she knew she could not evade the bullets unless she was faster than them. Yet, before she reached full speed, her eyes caught a scene where Batman's hand reached for Talia's head, cupping her as his other hand dislocated her cape and ready to undo her loosely flowing dress. A part of her jealousy crept in again, her soul cried to see her loved one about to have sex with another woman, before she closed her eyes and accelerated her swing. _He's not himself. I have to trust him. I have to save myself._

Then she spun at full speed as bullets started to fire through the many automatic machine guns around her. The Lasso of Truth engulfed her with certainty that she was doing something right, and a certainty that her trust in Bruce was sound and would be justly rewarded. She spun so fast now, and although more than once the bullets still escaped the twirling vortex she created and injured parts of her body, she maintained the speed and even aimed to increase it.

And then, the noise: the cracking noise of the broken steel jetty that could not withstand the pressure and momentum of her spinning. Wonder Woman knew that she had to fly as soon as the lasso was detached from the jetty, or she would fall into the Lazarus Pit. But switching speed from full spinning to flying required some time, as she realized later when her body needed more than a few seconds to slow down to fly, at the risk of being hit by bullets.

Yet, when she attempted the maneuver to fly, a dark object 'flew' to her, hitting and embracing her at the same time.

"Diana, help me… Help me…"

It was the Batman. He had jumped into the pit from the height, and now embraced her and clung at the lasso at the same time.

"Bruce!"

Utterly taken by surprise, the Amazon Princess opened her eyes to see the Dark Knight looking her in the eye, begging her with the intensity of an eternal lover, as the weight of his body dragged her into the sparkling pit of madness beneath them.

They fell together head on, and with their current speed, there was no way she could stop them falling into the cold inferno below.

-TBC-

_Author's note:_

_I thank members of the Wonder Woman Message Board at the DC Message Board for giving me an idea of the Lasso of Memory for Donna Troy. I unfortunately were unable to trace back the real idea creator of the Lasso of Memory, but I understand that some folks (including me) thought that Donna's lasso should be silver, instead of gold, to match with her black starry uniform, and to give her a unique identity among the Wonder Sisters. _

_Next, the Finale. Plunging into the Lazarus Pit, are Batman and Wonder Woman going to be insane? _


	23. The Blinding Light of Truth

Wedding: Interrupted

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future story lines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Spoilers from JLA#0, WW volume 3, and various post-IC references. Set five years after the IC. Ch 23: Batman dragged Wonder Woman plunging into Lazarus Pit. Featuring Nightwing, Donna Troy, and her Lasso of Memory. Not yet the finale, sorry…_

_Special thanks to Hepburn the great beta. I don't own DC or its characters. This story is not in continuity with my other story arcs where Bruce dates Diana._

**Chapter 23. The Blinding Light of Truth**

Batman was in psychological pain. Physically, his body ached as well for a union with Talia Al-Ghul Wayne who currently was straddling his lap, sighing, purring and kissing, demanding him to bed her here and now. But it was not what his consciousness wanted. The moment Talia gagged him with her trademark love potion; he knew that he had to increase his willpower to refuse the effect of the poison, for inevitably, it was rather difficult for him to evade the danger when he was heavily chained. But alas, the potion Talia poured into his mouth was much stronger than the last one he had 'accidentally' taken in Tuscany. The potion attacked his nerves and memory within one minute of intake, and with his body chained, there was no way he could inflict injury upon himself to override the potion's influence, unlike the last incident in Italy.

As a consequence, he roared in psychological pain as he saw – again – the image of naked Talia dancing, overlapping with the blurred image of Talia in front of him; the gorgeous Talia in a white dress, his legal wife whom he loved and wanted to make love with. He roared again like an injured lion as he felt his hands struggling to get out of the chains. Not to free himself, but to touch the goddess in front of him. He did not want it, but his body did, and his body overrode his logic and heart.

And finally, too soon, he went into trance. Everything was foggy white, with only Talia in front of him, her flowing white dress invited him to undo it, to reclaim Talia as his. So, when Talia finally unchained him, he did nothing. He was amazed that he was finally free to touch and ravage the goddess in front of him. Suddenly his hands moved towards Talia, his lips speaking her sweet name while he kissed and tangled himself into her.

He heard her speaking something to him, and to somebody else, but he cared less. He only wished he could speak more, to ask her to stop speaking and undo his clamped uniform now… but his lips could only utter her name again. And then, suddenly Talia stopped speaking. She kissed him again, his lips, his nose, his neck. She necked him as such that he was grunting in pleasure, and had to tilt his head, that was when he saw a glowing golden light swirling a few feet in front of him; a swirling golden light, a beacon amidst the white fogs surrounding him. Intuitively, he knew what the glowing light was.

"Diana…"

Abruptly, Talia stopped rocking him. Annoyance crept into her glazed eyes. "Beloved, stop speaking that name! It is I who you want, and I am here for you."

But Bruce had stopped listening to Talia. Instead, that other name crept into his mind. "Diana…" The golden light reminded him of a gold rope usually attached to the hip of another woman, a woman he truly loved this time. His gaze was transfixed at the light as a sudden awareness snapped into his mind.

He was not making love with goddess Talia. He was about to have sex with her, his wife, yes, but there was no love; hence it was not love making. And surely, Talia was not the goddess he usually associated with. Instead, his goddess, his real love, was somewhere within that swirling light.

And within a second, Batman's strong willpower and heart overrode his passion. He snapped free for a moment from the potion's influence. Looking down at Talia who was still straddling him, he felt intense anger towards that woman. His hands moved fast to push her away from him; he jumped to his feet before she could do anything else.

"You… you…!" Batman lost his words. He still could not believe that Talia had done it again to him. "You…evil…!"

Talia was also utterly surprised that Batman broke free of her potion's influence too soon. Yet, she also sprung to her feet and laughed. "Well! You snapped free! But not to worry, the quadruple dosage will soon take its toll again."

And apparently, it was true, for the Batman felt the white fog creeping into his mind again. Panicking and not wanting to fall into the same trap again, he turned to his only salvation in that place, the golden swirling light. The Lasso of Truth that belonged to Wonder Woman, Diana of Themyscira. The only woman he truly loved.

Swiftly, Bruce ran towards the light, only to stop realizing that Diana and her lasso were spinning and swirling about twenty feet away from the surface of the Lazarus chemical. He glanced at the steel jetty that held Diana captive, and instantly he knew that the jetty would break in a few seconds. He hesitated for a fraction of a second before taking a few steps back…

"There you go, Beloved," Talia purred again. "Very sensible of you!"

Not quite sensible though, for the Batman soon accelerated towards the pit and jumped head on to the swirling light, which was Wonder Woman and her Lasso of Truth, ignoring the myriad of bullets that were fired at the Amazon Princess.

"Nooooooooo!!" Talia screamed at the top of her lungs as her husband plummeted into the Lazarus Pit.

Batman caught Wonder Woman a second after the jetty was broken. He felt nothing as two bullets hit his arm and leg; his concentration was focused on the twirling Diana. He embraced her tight with one hand, while his other hand purposely grabbed the Lasso of Truth. He needs them both; Diana and the Lasso. He needed to be reminded of his love for her that would overcome any manipulated passion towards Talia. The Dark Knight needed the Amazon Princess, at any price, even if the price was plunging together into insanity.

"Diana, help me… Help me…"

"Bruce!"

Her eyes, her azure blue eyes… eyes that would understand every step he took to save them both, even if it meant plummeting head on into the pit of madness, gazed lovingly at him.

And she understood. She held him tight, her eyes locking with his, as they both fell into the glowing chemical twenty feet below.

-xxx-

Wonder Woman experienced temporary darkness as her body hit and was immersed in the Lazarus Pit. Instinctively, she knew that she had to fly as soon as she could from the pit, but she could not command her brain to do that; her brain seemed to shut down as soon as her head was plunged into the insanity-triggering chemicals. She felt a strong arm holding her tight, and she knew that it was the Batman. But she also knew that she could not count on him right now, for he also had his own internal fight to win. Frantically, Diana waited for the madness to attack her brain and nerves, rendering her insane. Her only hope was to focus on her Lasso of Truth that still tied both of her hands and hope that she would regain control over her brain soon before the Lazarus chemical overcome her sanity.

She had been one or two minutes drowned in the Lazarus Pit with the Batman clinging to her when she felt a rope entangling their bodies and pulling them out of the pit. Gasping and breathing fresh air, Wonder Woman searched for her rescuer.

"Thank Rhea we got here in time, Diana!" Donna Troy held her silver lasso tight as she flew them out of the pit. "This business can be very nasty!"

"Donna…" Diana still gasped as she tried to shake off the effect of Lazarus Pit in her system. "We need my lasso."

Completely understanding her sister, Donna nodded and laid Batman and Wonder Woman on a safe spot at the corner of the cave. Swiftly, she untied Diana from the Lasso of Truth and circled the lasso to cover the bodies of Batman and Wonder Woman.

"Do you need my lasso too?" Donna worriedly checked on her sister.

"No…" Diana could only whisper. "You need it." Her voice trailed off as she said "Thank you…" Later, she could only inaudibly chant the prayers to Athena, asking for guidance to get out of the madness of the pit.

Donna nodded again and flew back to the centre of the cave, leaving Batman and Wonder Woman tied up together. The Knight and the Princess trembled heavily, not from the cold, but as an effect of their attempts to expel the influence of Lazarus Pit.

-xxx-

Dick Grayson was furious beyond his ordinary limit. He and Bruce Wayne had been on good terms the last few years, and when his mentor and adopted father decided to marry Talia Al-Ghul, he had reluctantly given his blessings (not that Bruce needed that). And ever so slowly, he started to trust Talia and welcome her into the family. Dick even advocated her to the entire family (that included Barbara Gordon and extended to Dinah Lance Queen), merely because Bruce asked him to do so. And now, seeing that his trust had been misused, he was so angry. After dropping some gas spheres, Nightwing swung towards Talia and kicked her away, just as the Daughter of the Demon was about to shoot Donna Troy who was hauling Batman and Wonder Woman away.

"Why did you have to do it?! I trusted you! Alfred trusted you!" When Talia tried to get up, the former Boy Wonder launched his roundhouse kick, slamming her back to the ground. "We gave you a place in the family! And you manipulated him?!"

"You little worm!" Talia was quick to grab her Magnum again and fired twice at Nigthwing. All bullets missed the target. She sprung to her feet and launched a jab at Nightwing, who immediately leaned backward to avoid the hit. Talia swept at her opponent's feet, knocking him down on the cold ice cave. "Take that! You who dares to cross my path!" Not missing a second, she fired her Magnum again, but Nightwing was already rolling aside and rolled backward to evade the bullets.

"Well, eat this, Poison Lady!" Nightwing was quick to throw his Wingding to disarm Talia. The Wingding hit the Magnum with accurate precision, throwing it a few feet away and leaving Ra's Al-Ghul's second daughter weaponless.

"Pretty," she said coldly as she eyed her enemy. "I want see your hand-to-hand combat…" she tilted her head towards the cave entrance. " – but how about facing my League of Assassins first?"

Nightwing frowned. He and Donna Troy had not encountered a significant hindrance at the cave door, for the guards were a mere bunch of paid soldiers who could not even lift their guns before he puffed a handful of gas spheres while Donna lassoed the soldiers and twirled them aside. It was not hard for him to knock Nyssa away from the control panel and switch off the array of weapons that were still firing at Wonder Woman and Batman, even after the two heroes plunged into Lazarus Pit. But he knew the League of Assassins would not be that easy.

The former Boy Wonder squinted as he saw a dozen fighters of the League of Assassins entering the cave. He should have known better. Talia and Nyssa would have the League of Assassins with them, and they would take a considerable amount of his time. _Too bad Tim is not here. He would love it. _Dick Grayson took out his twin _bo_ sticks and readied himself for a rough battle.

-xxx-

Donna Troy was flying across the Lazarus Pit in an attempt to assist her husband who was facing the League of Assassins when she saw at least a hundred hired soldiers barged into the cave. She frowned. Her first priority was actually finding Wonder Woman's weapons, but it would be hard now, considering that Nyssa and Talia were both surrounded by heavily armed guards.

_This is going to get nasty. _She unhooked her lasso again and flew towards the first dozen of soldiers with her left arm moving at amazing speed to block bullets while her right hand started to swirl her lasso to create a vortex that would expel additional bullets coming from her back. _I should make myself a tiara like Diana's. It's pretty handy for these situations. _

After a few minutes of breaking some soldier's nose and arms, and a bullet passing by her arm, Donna started to wish that she had Wonder Girl with her. She tried to look around to find Nyssa Raatko – Wonder Woman's weapons should be retrieved from that demoness – but she was no where to be found. Or at least, it was hard to locate her.

_This is silly,_ finally Donna concluded. _Diana's weapons are top priority here. _With that thought, she took off one of her crescent-moon earrings, triggered a small button behind it and threw it at her assailants. It hit the cave floor and immediately emanated a very blinding light of at least 1,000 Watts that would blind people's eyesight (at least temporarily) if the did not protect themselves immediately. As her enemies retreated, Donna soared fast and high to the cave's ceiling. She never liked using that particular weapon of hers, designed by Io, the smithy of Themyscira, a few years back to distract enemies, but she had no choice this time. Her blue eyes quickly searched around to find Nyssa. She saw her target lurking in the shadow across the cave; her one hand blocked her eyesight from Donna's earring light, while her other hand held a curious box.

_That must be it! Diana's weapons!_ Donna tucked down and fast towards Nyssa to snatch the box… but it turned out that someone was faster than her.

-xxx-

"Put the box down, Lady, or I will not hesitate to shoot you."

Nemesis watched as Nyssa Raatko tensed. His enemy then slowly turned towards him and flashed a wicked smile.

"You won't kill me, Nemesis," she said dangerously. "You're just like the Bat; you don't have the nerve to kill a woman."

"Really?" The Herald of Justice quirked his eyebrows. "Clearly you haven't read my files enough, Nyssa. You never learned what I did to Irene Scarfield, did you?" He cocked his gun as he drew himself closer to her. "I rammed my copper and blew myself up just to stop her crazy plan; killing her and badly injuring myself in the process."

"And you're going to kill me now with your gun?" Nyssa was still undeterred, her voice was grim. "You forget little man, that like my Father, I am also immortal! You can't kill me."

"No, but it will slow you down and let us escape," replied Nemesis with equal grimness.

"And we can always try!" another voice – female one – joined in as a silver and black figure flew past them and knocked Nyssa to the cave floor. "Or, perhaps we just need to take back this instead of killing you," Donna Troy suddenly appeared displaying the box Nyssa originally carried.

"Give me that!" Nyssa Raatko was quick to jump and throw an upper cut to Donna, who swiftly dodged and whirled backwards. Nemesis entered the game by blocking Nyssa's blow to Donna.

"Is that what we're looking for?!" he screamed to Donna as he ducked to avoid Nyssa's roundhouse kick. But he was momentarily distracted enough to give Nyssa another chance to sweep his feet, slamming him to the floor. He gasped and tried to get up as Ra's Al Ghul's eldest daughter fired her gun at him, which would be fatal indeed had Donna not moved towards him and blocked the bullets with her bracelets.

"Dunno!" Donna kept moving her hands as Nyssa grew mad and fired at will. She hardly had time to throw the box to Nemesis. "Here, catch! And if it is, go back to them!"

Nemesis was quick to open the box and was relieved to find Wonder Woman's tiara, indestructible bracelets, and even Batman's cowl and utility belt were there. Good!He closed the box again. "All here! You go back to them!"

"Negative! Can't you see I'm busy?" Donna introduced her heels to Nyssa who arched back to avoid her. "And you're not in good shape –" the Amazon herself had to whirled around to avoid Nyssa's favourite blow. "– so don't argue and go!" She managed to point her finger at the direction where she left Bruce and Diana before she was forced to counteract Nyssa's attacks with her own blows.

Tom Tresser only required a fraction of a second to realize that Donna was right. He was indeed still in bad shape. He should have not forced himself out of the sickbed aboard the Nightjet, but the moment he opened his eyes he had only thought of Diana, and later the Batman, he chose to drag himself out immediately. He did not realize that Donna had earlier injected a special Themysciran solution into his blood stream to accelerate his recovery process; otherwise he would not have woke up that soon.

But he was still rather weak; his easy defeat by Nyssa was a proof of that. He would not hold out against Nyssa for long, and the best course of action now was to allow Donna to continue fighting the she-demon while he returned the weapons to Wonder Woman.

"Take care then." He nodded to Donna and quickly retreated to the other part of the cave Donna had pointed at. But of course things would not be that easy, as he soon found out that some of the soldiers temporarily blinded by Donna's earring had already recovered and were gaining more support from at least another fifty soldiers that had just stormed into the cave. He fired a few times before deciding that it would not help the case at all.

"Fine." Tom Tresser squinted. "So you want this?" He took out a small gun from his utility belt (his captors had not confiscated his belt; they should have known that they should have confiscated _any_ utility belts) and fired it at his assailants. His small gun exploded an air blast that made the soldiers in the perimeter scream as the blast caused temporary – or permanent, depending on the distance – damage to their ears. He seldom used his concussion gun, for he disliked the fact that it would hurt his enemies' ears. But sometimes, it was required.

With his enemies tumbling down, Nemesis accelerated and circled the pit, very careful not to slip into it, and arrived at Batman and Wonder Woman, who apparently already gained their consciousness. Nemesis did not know what happened to them, but it was clear enough that whatever trouble they had encountered was big enough to leave them pale-faced although looked stable. But then, the Herald of Justice gasped as he saw the Dark Knight grab two fist-sized stones nearby and aim at him.

-TBC-

_Author's Note:_

_Oh no! Is Batman still going mad because of Lazarus Pit?!_

_And sorry, I thought that I could do a finale for this chapter, but it turns out that I need another one for the final fight. _

_Reference to Nemesis fighting Irene Scarfield was in The Brave and the Bold #193 (Dec 1982). A very good read, you should check it. I truly fell in love with the real Nemesis from the BB 170 and 193; he's SO NOT the piggish Nemesis that currently roams the monthly WW comic!_

_And again, drop me your thoughts of Donna's Lasso of Memory. I personally like it (or I wouldn't write it that way!). The Lasso will do her job once more in the Finale. _


	24. Memories Rather Forgotten

Wedding: Interrupted

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future story lines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Set five years after the IC. Ch 24: The Finale. Many thanks to Hepburn for the excellent beta._

**Chapter 24. Memories Rather Forgotten **

The Herald of Justice gasped as he saw the Dark Knight stood so still in front of him, carrying stones ready to be hurled at any time. He blinked, searched for Batman's unmasked eyes… and his heart sank in terror as he saw no sanity in those deep blue eyes. Nay… the eyes were icy cold blue, raging with simmering anger and hatred from within. It was not the stones that froze Tom Tresser's heart. It was the cold hatred clearly shown in Batman's eyes. There was no playboy Bruce Wayne there, nor Batman the hero. It was another Batman he never knew existed…until now.

"Batman…" inexplicably, Nemesis could only whisper. He knew he should have lunged to prevent the stones from being hurled at him, but he was petrified by the primordial fear emerging from within him upon seeing the other version of the Dark Knight. No use. At least, he should have yelled. Batman had lifted his hand and the stones would be hurled at any time. They were just stones, but Nemesis knew that in the hand of a warrior like the Caped Crusader, the stones would function as deadly as a batarang. Special Agent Tom Tresser opened his mouth to speak again, but someone was faster than him.

"Batman!"

It was Wonder Woman speaking. She had just stood up, her left hand reached for the Bat as if to stop him; her other hand clutched at her lasso.

"Batman!" she said again. "Don't!"

The Bat slowly looked at her. The icy cold hatred slowly turned into something else. Fire, raging fire from within that was too primal to be contained. Maelstrom.

And the Batman screamed. No; more like a howl. He howled like an injured wild beast, trying to find escape. Still holding the stones, he covered his face with both hands clutched, crouched down as if to suppress the demon within, and let out the second cry that made the Nemesis shivered in fear.

-xxx-

She had seen him like this before. Years ago, as they fought hand in hand in the heart of the plagued Gotham, as Phobos infiltrated Batman's mind and merged with him as the Ultimate God of Fear. At that time, she chose not to use her Lasso of Truth. Instead, she talked to him, as a friend talking to a friend, as a lover talking to the loved one. Her trust on him prevailed. The Batman emerged from the trance and kicked Phobos out of his system.

But now, Diana of Themyscira wondered if she should use her Lasso of Truth to help the Batman. Earlier, she had asked Donna Troy to circle Batman and herself with the lasso, in an attempt to restore their sanities after being plunged head on into the Lazarus Pit. Wonder Woman emerged safely from the brink of insanity. The Lasso of Truth and Fire of Hestia had protected her and the Batman; giving them physical and magical protection that prevented anyone from entering the circle. The Lasso had also expelled the effect of Lazarus Pit and restored her sanity.

Yet, she questioned if the Lasso had saved Batman this time, or if he was still drowned somewhere within the psychic chaos. Perchance, the Lazarus effect still lingered in Batman's mind? She reached for the Dark Knight, but then withdrew as he howled yet again, hollow and more primal this time.

Wonder Woman felt her heart sinking as she realized that Batman was too submerged in his madness. It pained her to see him like this, howling and wailing like a feral animal with a fresh cut, trying to escape to heal his wound and yet at the same time ready to attack if disturbed. But then, when he was about to straightened up and attack again, she knew she had not much time.

Diana threw herself at the Batman, effectively blocking his view from the petrified Nemesis. With her Amazonian strength, she locked him from moving as she said, "Bruce, no! You must fight! Restrain yourself!"

The Batman blinked twice. Then he howled again, louder and scarier this time. He tried to free himself from this woman who glued herself ever so strongly to him; but as he did that, he locked eyes with her. His soul made contact with hers.

And then it was: the soothing shower of awareness. An emerging understanding of what happened to him and her. Control.

The Dark Knight dropped the stones he carried. He opened his mouth again to let out another feral cry, but none came out. The fury had dissipated; the fear and hatred had gone. His eyes lost their anger. He was restored.

"Diana…" he whispered as he collapsed again at her embrace.

-xxx-

Nemesis did not realize that he had held his breath for so long. As he finally exhaled, he asked Wonder Woman, "Man…Is he… he's okay?"

"The madness of Lazarus Pit is hard to resist, even by a Batman," Diana explained as she wiped her own sweat, profusely dropping after the psychic war between herself and the Bat.

"Remind me to steer clear from any LP in the future," mumbled Tom as he tentatively approached his friends. Yet, before Wonder Woman mumbled back any intelligent response, something else happened.

Batman's eyes snapped open, flared in a split second, and within seconds, his hands swiped other stones nearby and threw it at the Nemesis.

"What the heck-?!" The Herald of Justice was again too surprised to move. But as he did not feel anything, he checked the situation again and found that those stones had actually hit two soldiers a few feet behind him. Now those soldiers were as good as sleeping cats.

"They almost shot you," the Caped Crusader whispered between his panting breaths. "I had seen them before, but I was…" he shook his head as he tried to get up. "I could not respond well."

Diana looked back and forth between the soldiers and the two heroes. Like Tom, she was also unaware of the soldiers' presence. "The Lazarus Pit," she later reminded Bruce as she helped him up. She eyed him and was relieved to find that his eyes were normal: logical and systematic as the Bat's…but also loving, beautiful and caring full of love for herself, hidden beneath that stoic countenance.

The Dark Knight subtly nodded. "We should avoid these pits in the future."

"That's what I said before," Nemesis added in relief as he approached Batman and Wonder Woman. "Glad you guys are okay. And thanks…umm… for protecting me."

"It goes double for you, Tom." Her azure eyes cast sincere appreciation, and Tom knew she meant it.

Batman only nodded again. But from his clear and calm eyes, Tom Tresser knew that he was facing the old usual Batman. After checking that the two were truly alright, Tom delivered the box he'd been carrying so far. "I think you might need these things?"

Diana opened the box and said her gratitude as she extracted her tiara and bracelets from the box. Batman took his cowl and swiftly put it on again as he checked on his utility belt. He was satisfied that none of his weaponry was taken out of the belt, thanks to the hidden security button that he had installed a few months ago for this latest belt.

Wonder Woman donned her tiara and bracelets, securing the lasso to her hip before smiling at her former boyfriend. "Thanks a lot for retrieving the weapons, Nemesis."

Tom shrugged. "Hey, you guys surrendered for me. I'd say we're even."

"No." Batman shook his head while placing one hand on Tom's shoulder. "Friends don't measure the scales, Nemesis. Friends help each other, no matter what."

Suddenly, Tom Tresser felt a lump on his throat that he needed to clear immediately. While he cleared his throat, Wonder Woman said urgently, "Agreed Batman. And now may I help you two gentlemen crossing the pit? I think Donna and Nightwing need our help over there." She didn't give enough time for the gentlemen's replies before she scooped them and flew them across the pit, but she did smile as Batman said, "By all means. But please don't drop the two of us into the pit."

"Yep, it surely looks grim," Tom held tight to Diana's hand as he looked down on the pit. Her hand was still the same hand that he used to hold, but he was relieved that the warm feeling he felt for her now was more of a friend's. "By the way, what happened earlier down there? How did you two sink into the pit? Why did Donna tie you two with your own lasso, Di?"

Batman was the one to reply. "Trust me. You don't want to know."

-xxx-

The feral howls of the Batman were heard by others in the cave battlefield. Nightwing felt a prickly feeling as he wondered who or what was making that noise. All members of the League of Assassins around him also froze at their places, wondering what went wrong. But then, as the howls stopped, the battle resumed. And Dick Grayson was not fast enough, for he was rewarded with a hard kick by Ibn Al-Xuffasch a.k.a. Damian Wayne.

"Watch your step, 'Brother'!" mocked Damian as he leapt forward and zeroed-in his punch at Dick's jaw. Dick's body flew backwards as his back slammed the hard floor. Then the slash of death as Damian sliced his scimitar at Nightwing's body, whose years of reflex had saved him from being cut into two. Nightwing rolled sideways and jumped backwards to avoid Damian's curved swords, several times as his 'adopted' brother cursed all the way. He then leapt forward and let out a battle cry as his twin bo hit Damian's leg and back, sending him tumbling down the cave floor.

Yet the battle was uneven, for members of the League of Assassins were circling him as well, and Damian was quick to bounce back, grab his fallen scimitar, and made several slicing movements at Nightwing. Once, twice, thrice… until Nightwing's feet missed step. He fell and saw the slashing scimitar came towards his head. In a split second, he wracked his brain to find out a way to save himself, but before he reached a conclusion, another slashing object was thrown at him. That new object crashed with Damian's scimitar, diverting it from its original trajectory.

"I don't like my two sons fighting," said the Batman as he glided down from the cave ceiling. "And you, Damian, you must learn to treat your brother with respect."

Dick Grayson cracked a smile as he said, "He had a bad education, Batman. Poor boy."

Obviously, Damian did not think it funny, for he did not take time to stop. He roared and attacked his own father as he screamed, "Stop treating me like a boy! Now it's you and me!"

It is often said that like father, like son. Yet, Batman once again pondered the truth of that statement as he evaded his son's assault. He saw not a single quality of Dick Grayson or Tim Drake in Damian Wayne. His heart again wrenched as he was one on one again with his biological son.

-xxx-

Donna Troy-Grayson was one-on-one with Nyssa Raatko when she heard the gut-wrenching howl from afar, giving her goose bumps she had never experienced after her encounter with the Dark Angel in Gotham. Yet, she was fast enough to elude Nyssa's deadly blow, whose deliverer later retracted her jab and smiled cruelly.

"A good fighter, are you? Not as good as your sister, but not bad either. A pity your sister is too damaged to fight."

"Don't be too sure!" Donna gritted her teeth and was about to launch a counter-attack when she heard the second howl. Fear crept in again, but this time she took control. "Who –"

"Who else?" A figure in white suddenly glided over and landed next to Nyssa. Talia Al-Ghul reappeared, with her white catsuit and green cape this time. "Bruce…" she licked her cherry lips in satisfaction. "The Pit finally got him…"

"How could you say that?!" Donna glared at her new opponent. "Aren't you at least concerned about him?! He's your husband, Talia!"

"Kind enough to remind me of that, are you? You forgot that it was your dearly beloved sister who took him from me!" Talia launched another attack, only to have Donna reeled backwards, swung aside and kicked her back hard. The young Mrs. Wayne growled in hatred as she tumbled down and kissed the hard cave floor unceremoniously.

Donna had no time to celebrate her victory, for her hands were suddenly locked back by Nyssa. Ra's Al-Ghul's first daughter hissed in hatred.

"I could kill you right now and here… but why give away the pleasure when I can toss you to the Pit and make you my soldier?"

Donna remained silent as she brought her head down, and suddenly banged her head against Nyssa's. She then used the ancient Greek technique similar to Aikido to twist Nyssa's hand and tossed her a few feet away. "Try!" she roared. "You're facing Wonder Woman's sister here! Not a newbie!" she dodged a flying fist, Talia's, and twisted her hand as well. Yet, her hands were full once more when Nyssa emerged too quickly. Soon, the Al-Ghul sisters circled her and finally, after a fraction of a second of her misstep, she found herself held tight by Nyssa's hands.

"Good. Restrain her, Sister," said Talia as she approached her enemy, sweeping trickles of blood from her lips (the result of Donna's kick). "Lazarus Pit is alright for Diana. But I have no time for this one. For this one, this –" she pulled her other Magnum, "– will have to do."

Donna writhed as she felt the cold Magnum on her temple. She did not think that it would be her end; too simple and too silly to die at the hands of the Al-Ghuls, but as Nightwing and Nemesis were busy now, she needed to find another way out. Which might be too late.

"Wait, Talia!" Donna tried to buy some time. "You're gonna regret this when you come to your senses!"

"What senses?..." Clear hatred flared from Talia's brown eyes. "I know killing Diana will be too easy for me… it's not the way to hurt Bruce. But killing you…" she smiled cruelly. "Killing you will hurt Diana too, and anything that hurts Diana, hurts Bruce as well. So it goes double." Her fingers pulled the trigger as Donna writhed harder, trying to free herself from Nyssa's grip.

And then it happened. Donna Troy saw it at the corner of her eyes, a mere flash of gold that collided with the Magnum on her head. She heard a bang, glanced over, and realized that the Magnum had fell on the ground a few feet away, exploding but not hurting anyone. But someone was getting hurt too soon, for a hard fist was delivered at Talia, following with a whirl and kick at Nyssa, and soon, Donna Troy was free.

"No one hurts my sister," Wonder Woman declared as she put her tiara back on her forehead. She retrieved the Magnum from the floor and crunched it with her bare hand. "I also don't like guns."

"You don't!" Talia barked as she wiped another trickle of blood, on her nose this time. "You took the line from Bruce."

"Perhaps," Diana shrugged. "This is between you and me, Talia. Do not involve Donna, or your sister Nyssa, in this. It's the business between us alone." She locked eyes with Talia and suddenly, too fast to be seen by naked eyes, unhooked her gold lasso and whirled it towards her opponent. "Let's talk."

Diana's firm but calm words flamed Talia's hatred. "You're not going to talk about love and peace while stealing my husband, you witch!"

"Yes, I am. I know now that we can fight all day long, and we will not come up with a solution at all, unless I do this." Diana held her Lasso of Truth tight. The moment Bruce was released from his madness, she knew that she had to do this to Talia as well, with or without the said woman's consent. "Donna, care to take care of Nyssa for me?"

"Done, Di," grinned Donna as she pinned down Nyssa with her might. She had ran towards Nyssa the moment she realized that Wonder Woman had returned and took charge, and as Nyssa was still getting her bearing, it was not hard for Donna to defeat her. She punched Nyssa again and hit her nerves spots, and soon Talia's sister collapsed unconscious.

"Great," Diana smiled without diverting her attention to Talia. "Now Talia, by the Fire of Hestia, realize what you and your sister had done. Remember what Nyssa did to you, and how you became like this. Reveal your true self and accept the Truth!"

At first, nothing happened. And then, the lasso started to glow, brighter and brighter each time, and soon Talia Al-Ghul was engulfed in a blinding golden light.

"No! Stop! What are you doing!" Talia still wriggled and writhed, trying to escape.

"No chance, Daughter of the Demon!" Wonder Woman yelled. "See what you've become now, and fight not! Return to who you really are!"

Yet Talia still fought for a moment or two, until she suddenly stopped still. Her brown eyes suddenly went blank, and she screamed hard, as if to expel the demon from within her.

"Let me out! No….!! Diana, let me out!"

Diana blinked as she realized it was the old Talia speaking.

"You're not going anywhere! Where do you think you can run, killer of your own kind?"

It was another voice, although still Talia's. Diana blinked again and realized that she needed help.

"Donna! Get help for Nyssa. I need you now here!"

A few feet away, realizing that Diana indeed required her help, Donna moved forward. She hesitated a few seconds about leaving Nyssa behind, albeit unconscious, before another figure appeared.

"I'll guard that other demon, Donna. You help your sister."

Donna smiled and flew towards Diana after thanking the Nemesis.

-xxx-

"You said you're my father! But you never visited me when I was with her! You never gave me love that you gave to Tim! To Dick!" Damian Wayne slashed his scimitar at the Batman. "You liar!"

"I tried! If you just want to see it, I tried! You just never gave yourself a chance!" Batman parried the scimitar and whirled around. He was getting tired of this game. It was not that he could not win it; he could, easily. He just wanted to give Damian another chance for repentance, as impossible as it is. Yet, when Damian made another lethal attack, he lost patience.

Checking that Nightwing was alright, though still busy with the League of Assassins, Batman crouched down and sprung back quickly behind Damian to deliver his favorite blow that would render his son weak, though still conscious. It worked; Damian collapsed to the floor.

"Listen now," growled Batman between his teeth. "Whatever deceptions your mother has told you, you must know that you have far better potential than becoming what you are now. And whoever your mother is now, you must see that –" a sudden scream halted his speech. Batman tilted his head, trying to triangulate the source.

"Mother…" whispered Damian weakly. "What have you done to her?"

Batman's icy blue eyes flashed behind his lenses. "Nothing bad, it seems. She's not hurt."

"Liar…" his son turned away from him.

The scream again; Batman listened to it once more. "She's not. Diana knows what to do." And before his son could say anything about Wonder Woman, he lifted him, fired his grapple gun, and flew away towards the scream.

"You'll see now. You'll see what you must see."

-xxx-

Wonder Woman thought that handling Batman's madness was already her ultimate challenge that day… or ever. But now she wondered if even handling the Joker's madness would be pale in comparison to this one. At least, Joker had no reference to regrets and despair. He was pure madness, the ultimate insanity a human could ever be, and should never be.

Talia Al-Ghul Wayne, on the other hand, knew sorrow, regrets, and despair. Those emotions flooded her with cruel streams and velocities that she could not take it anymore. Hence her screams. She wanted her demons and her feelings to go away, for she could not endure it anymore. The pain, the sorrow, the regrets were too big for her. She screamed again, howling and wailing too, wishing that she could run away from her feelings. But she could not.

Diana frowned as she feared Talia's mental health under the intense exposure of the Lasso of Truth. Whatever the lasso was showing Talia now, surely it was hell for her. She looked at her sister Donna next too her, holding her own Lasso of Memory, the silver glow mixed with the golden glow of her own lasso. Diana knew that Donna was concerned about Talia too, but she believed that the combination of the blinding golden light of her lasso and the soothing silver light of Donna's would do the trick. Donna's Lasso of Memory would also show Talia her good sides she had left; her friendship, her love, her potential. She would be released from her demons, if only she could stand her truths.

"She might not make it," Donna voiced her concern, which was Diana's too.

Diana tilted her head, observing the profusely falling sweats from her sister's forehead, and replied, "We must try to help her."

"What if our efforts are not enough?" Donna shook her head. "I never had memories flooding this fast and intense, Di. I've ordered the lasso to reject it coming to me, but it means that Talia had no other outlet. She must endure it herself."

"Then, she must. She must, and she will endure." Diana closed her eyes and prayed that Athena guided her former friend. She did not know what kind of Talia would emerge out of the predicament, but she knew that if Talia went out of balance again, Bruce would be hurt too. He would still be hurt, for Diana knew that Bruce loved Talia as a friend, and seeing her like this hurt him too. Diana opened her eyes again and yelled,

"Come on, Talia! You're better than this! Fight that demon and free yourself!"

A few seconds afterwards, Talia stopped screaming. Her blank eyes slowly glowed with silver-golden light before the light went out. Diana could see Talia's clear brown eyes before the Daughter of the Demon slowly collapsed in front of her. She could hear Bruce's legal wife whispering, "Father…" as she fell.

-xxx-

"Mother! Nooooo!!" Damian Wayne would run towards her mother, had his father not strained him first.

"Damian, it's okay Son! She needs that. She needs the therapy." Calmly accepting his son's anger, Bruce kept burying Damian on his chest. "She will be fine."

"No! I hate you! I hate you and Wonder Woman! I wish you were dead!"

Ignoring his son's wrath, Batman brought him nearer to the collapsed figure of Talia and released him as they got close. Damian ran towards his mother and tried to touch her, but the glowing gold and silver lassos prevented him. Something strange flooded his emotions as he touched the lassos. He was not sure if he liked the feeling, though he was considerably calmer because of it. "Mother…?"

"Is she going to be fine, Diana?" whispered Batman as he approached Wonder Woman.

Diana nodded. "I saw her eyes, Batman. She suffered, but she won. She will survive."

"Thank you," Batman said in relief. "She was evil, but she was not herself. She…"

"Do not explain yourself to me. I know. Go to her."

Batman hesitated for a few seconds before tentatively walked to Talia. She stirred, and as if just awakened from a bad dream, she opened her eyes and saw her husband and son looking at her with concerns. She smiled, a sincere smile Bruce had not seen for a long time. Bruce held her hand cautiously, as if afraid of crushing it. She accepted his hand, then she frowned. _Blood on their bodies. What happened?_

"What happened?" she asked Bruce with escalating concerns. "I had bad dreams… that we fought? That I poisoned you?"

Bruce's reluctance to answer was a 'yes' for Talia, a confirmation that her bad dreams were actually true.

"Did I hurt you?" His firm jaws were the confirmation she needed. Talia closed her eyes in despair before opening it again, anger in her eyes. "Nyssa!"

She then jumped on her feet. Her eyes searched for her sister and, as she found her at the hands of the Nemesis, she hurried towards her.

Nyssa already gathered her consciousness, but Tom's grip on her was too strong. Tom even produced some strong ropes from his belt to tie her with. Still, the corners of her lips formed a cruel mockery as Talia approached her.

"Look what that witch did to you, Sister. You are ruined! Gone is my masterpiece I did upon you."

"Masterpiece?! You call that masterpiece?!" Talia fumed at her. "You manipulated me to hate my own husband. You tricked me into hurting him! You… you…"

"Talia!" Tom Tresser warned her as he tried to move Nyssa away from Talia's fist trajectory. Yet, from the corner of his eyes, he saw Batman shook his head. It was Talia's fight with Nyssa. They had to finish it alone.

"You helped me kill our own father, of your own volition," knowing that she was safe, Nyssa finished her sister's sentence. "You drugged your own husband into making love to you, into marrying you. I did not do any of that. You did those things Sister –" Nyssa dug further, "– on your own, because deep inside you are just as cruel as I am."

Talia fell into silence for a while. When she spoke again, there was no anger in her voice, only the sadness of a mature woman. "I did all of those things. I did, and I am sorry for that. But you Nyssa, you will never know what sorry is. For deep inside you are just a pathetic creature that knows nothing about love, let alone regrets."

Deep inside, Nyssa felt the remains of her heart sinking. Talia was her only connection to the world she hoped she knew, thus her intense affection towards her, and her desire to keep her sister within her reach. With Talia's senses regained, she Nyssa Raatko lost everything. Still, it did not stop her mockery.

"So what if I am? At least I live by my way. And you? You don't want to hurt me now. You won't kill me, though you're very angry at me. All your life, you will feel miserable for not terminating me, though you know that I was the one who brought your family to an end."

"You're right," Talia's eyes glowed once again as she drew Nyssa nearer by grabbing her collars. "I won't kill you. But at least I can do this."

She then punched Nyssa, hard at the nose. It was a big blow that jerked Nyssa backwards and split blood everywhere from her nose; tainting her nose-ring, and leaving her shocked at Talia's brute strength.

"You're lucky that I don't want to kill you anymore. But I can still hurt you, so be forewarned." Talia dropped the bleeding Nyssa and spun around to find Batman, Wonder Woman, and Donna Troy behind her. At the corner, Nightwing glided towards them, having defeated the entire League of Assassins.

"You may go," Talia said indifferently towards her former enemies. She looked up to see the incredulous look of the Nemesis before adding, "What? You never made mistakes in your life? Go with them, Tom, and make sure you make none like mine."

"What will you do?" Batman couldn't help to ask.

"Damage control," was Talia's simple answer. "And educate Damian for the better. At least, I can still make you proud of him one day."

"I will go to Themyscira soon for healing, Talia," Diana suddenly spoke. "You might not be interested, but when you do, my jet is ready to take you."

Talia Al-Ghul locked eyes with Diana of Themyscira. "I know why he loves you." She then swirled around and watched the bleeding Nyssa cursed. "Go now. I am not in the mood of communal contemplation."

She did not move until the entire entourage of Batman and Wonder Woman had left the cave. Ignoring Damian's questions and Nyssa's curses, an hour later she took her private jet and flew away to Metropolis, to her secret apartment in that city. From the look of Nyssa's eyes, Talia knew that her sister would not dare to cross her path again. That was good; she needed time alone. She needed time and space to cry.

-TBC-

_**Author's note:**_

_I know that Ra's Al-Ghul was already resurrected by Batman #670, but for the simplicity of the story, I chose to make him stay dead. For similar reason, I chose not to resurrect Hippolyta, despite my fondness of Wonder Woman's mother. _

_My sincere apology for the length of time I need for this one, life has again gotten in the way. This is the final chapter as I promised. But for those interested with more peaceful epilogue, and the fate of Batman's marriage, please wait for chapter 25; it will be a day at the most._


	25. Epilogue: Wedding, Resumed

Wedding: Interrupted

**Wedding: Interrupted**

**Rated: T**

**by Icha**

_Summary:_

_My take on the (possible) future story lines in JLA#0, notably Wonder Woman's marriage. BMWW, Diana Nemesis, Bruce Talia, Dick Donna. Set five years after the IC. Ch 25: Epilogue. Many thanks to Hepburn for the excellent beta and her constant supports._

**Chapter 25. Epilogue: Wedding, Resumed**

Selina Kyle, the Catwoman, gingerly traced the silky feeling of her green tunic as she walked down one of the pebbled paths in one of the most beautiful gardens of Themyscira, the warm morning sun fell onto her sleek short black hair. She did not visit the island often, but when she did, she was always grateful for it. The Amazons here always treated her with respect and friendship, and they also loved talking about current fashion with her, an added bonus indeed. This time, her gratitude doubled because she was about to visit her sister Maggie.

"Nice teleport, Sel?"

The friendly greeting came from Donna Troy-Grayson, who suddenly appeared from one of the green turns in the garden. Upon her emerging memories, Maggie Kyle had been admitted to the Royal Health Authority of the Republic of Themyscira where she had so far received one of the best traditional Themysciran therapies for mental health. Donna Troy came to Selina's apartment a few days ago, declaring that Bruce and Diana sent her to pick-up Maggie and take her to Themyscira. Selina could not say no, for she had been trying to contact Diana herself.

"Yeah, on my way to visit Maggie," Selina smiled to her friend before quirking her eyebrows. "Old but new costume, huh?" Donna Troy was wearing her red and gold costume. "Where's the starry one? Laundry?"

"Yeah, and change of style too, sometimes," Donna grinned. "I've just come from seeing Maggie, she looked healthy, and she was asking about you."

"You did tell her that I was on my way, no? I had to go back to Gotham to see Helena." She just got herself teleported from the Themyscira House after her short visit to Gotham to see her darling toddler.

"I did, and you should know by now that you can bring Helena with you the next time you visit."

"Is it safe… for Maggie?"

"I would think so. You might want to ask Epione's advice, but I think it's almost time that Helena is brought here."

Selina looked pensive before she nodded. "Thanks for everything, Donna. I'll talk to Diana too about it. Is she around?"

"She's at Athena's Temple, I believe," Donna gestured to a tall building of which the dome was visible from their spot.

Selina thanked her and said that she would visit the temple later. She then resumed her journey towards the private health chamber where Maggie resided nowadays.

"Visiting your sister?"

Wondering at the unfamiliar, but not completely alien, voice, Selina stopped and looked around. Her eyes widened as she saw Talia Al-Ghul sitting on one of the stone seats in the park.

"Talia!" In reflex, Selina changed her stance to defensive one. Her last encounter with Talia Al-Ghul was not a pleasant one; they were claw-to-claw in the Batcave.

"Do not be alarmed, Catwoman. I'm not here for a fight." Talia closed a book she had been reading, and raised to welcome Selina. Selina craned her neck to see the book's title ('Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul') and frowned.

"You're here just to read a book? A self-help book?"

The woman in front of her tucked a lock of her brunette hair. "Pretty much. To heal myself."

"Does it work?" Selina threw the cynical comment, but as soon as she caught the flash of regrets in Talia's eyes, she immediately felt ashamed of herself. "Sorry."

"Don't be. People like us know that regret often comes late, hence very painful. And the healing might take a long time…"

"But it can be healed," Selina did not know what came into her. She just knew that she inexplicably wanted to comfort the strange Talia in front of her. She did not know what happened with Talia, Bruce and Diana in Tibetan Plateau, but she knew that something big took place almost a week ago that involved the three of them. "Look at Maggie. It took almost ten years, but she is healing now."

"I saw your sister from a distance today," Talia slowly diverted the subject. "She looked peaceful."

"Thanks. And are you?"

Talia exhaled and smiled wistfully. "I hope so..."

Selina was quite for a while before replying with, "We all have our demons. I hope yours is defeated soon."

"Thank you." Talia turned to resume her walk, towards the Temple of Athena. Yet she suddenly halted, turned back, and chased Selina. "Look, just in case I have no more strength to say this –" Selina raised her eyebrows. "I'm sorry about our fight at the cave back then. It was… very silly of me."

Selina's emerald eyes searched for Talia's eyes and found truth and regrets in those pair of brown eyes. She knew that Talia meant it.

"And me too," she admitted. "And I really thank you for saving my life when Lady Shiva went berserk, way back then." She kicked a small pebble away before adding, "It's not too late for damage control, I hope?"

Unexpectedly, Talia chuckled. "Damage control… if such a small damage cannot be fixed, then what about the larger one?" she looked at Selina and smiled. "Take care of Maggie, Selina. You don't know how nice it is to have a sane sister as yours."

"Don't I know it?" Despite the irony, Selina felt that Talia did not mean to mock her. Puzzled but relieved, she shook Talia's hands and resumed her journey to see her sister.

-xxx-

Inside the Temple of Athena, under the soothing shadows of the clinging plants, Diana of Themyscira wrapped herself with the Lasso of Truth and the Fire of Hestia. She had been doing it intensively since she got back to Themyscira, right after the event in Tibet, just to make sure that all effects of the Lazarus Pit had gone away.

"Is it not painful for you, to face your demons everyday?"

She smiled and, without opening her eyes, answered.

"I've been used to it. How are you? Had a nice sleep last night?"

Talia Al-Ghul cautiously approached Diana, but then stopped ten feet away. She was still unsure if she could stand close to the lasso, though it had saved her life that day. She then sat down, pulled her knees close to her chest, and watched Diana's figure, clad with a white Grecian tunic and entangled with the Amazon's own lasso, glowing in harmony with her breathing.

"I had my first dreamless night, so thank you." She came to the island yesterday afternoon on her own volition. Strangely, it was just fifteen minutes after her decision that a visit to Themyscira might not be harmful for her, when Wonder Woman's invisible jet hovered outside her Metropolis apartment, her hide out the day after the fiasco in Tibet. Diana's voice was heard from the empty jet, inviting her to board the plane, later to take her to Themyscira. On the island, Diana herself welcomed her and ushered her to a private quarter, but they had not talked about Tibet and Bruce ever since. "Don't you ever have nightmares?"

Diana was quite for a while. Then, as the glow of her lasso abated, she opened her eyes and said, "Some times. I'm not perfect. When my mother died, I had nightmares almost every night."

"How did you get away from regrets?"

"I did not. I acknowledged it, overcome it, and promised to be a better woman than I was. In the end, I was grateful to have her appearing in front of me again, her soul, I mean. I got my redemption."

"Surely it wasn't that easy."

Diana shook her head. "No, it wasn't. But I am glad I took the chances."

"I should be glad of it too, one day." Talia was talking about her own chances. For a while, the two women sat in silence. Diana folded her lasso and hooked it at her belt before sitting down in half-lotus position.

"I will go to Gotham after lunch," Talia resumed the conversation. "I will give Bruce what he needs… and then I will go."

Diana was still silent, playing with her own tunic. Then, "Where to?"

"Not sure. I've been thinking of Nanda Parbat. Too close to the snowy cave, I know, but it should be different."

"It's a very soothing place. Try to find Lama Jhorde, if he's around. He will help you."

"I understand that you accompanied Bruce and Tim during your missing years back then?"

Diana nodded. "It was an honor to see a new Bruce emerging from the cave."

"I wish I was there, you know?" Talia shifted to face Diana. "But I also know that I was not fit to accompany him. He needed you back then, he needs you now. For your constant search for truth."

"I could be boring him to death," Diana tried to crack a joke.

"Still, he loves that boring part of you," Talia got up. "I will leave you with the ritual now. I just need to tell you that…if you hurt Bruce even just half the way I hurt him, I will cross the world to punch you. And I do deliver hard punches."

"Don't I know it," Diana smiled. "Thank you."

"Don't be." Talia walked away, her words echoed along the temple's corridor. "It's what a lover must do for her loved one."

-xxx-

The sun was about to set in Gotham's skyline when Bruce Wayne cleared his table from that day's paper works. It was his first full day work at the office after almost a week of absence, and he felt good to return to the mundane life of his company. Not that he did not trust Lucius Fox, God knows he did; he just needed distraction from the recent event he had experienced.

He also missed Diana, and though he knew that she went to Themyscira for her own good, he still missed her presence. They had not talked a lot about what happened back then in Tibet; they just returned to the cave after dropping Tom Tresser in Washington. Dick and Donna had flown to New York with Dick's Nightjet, leaving them alone at the cave.

Naturally, they were tired. But when Diana started to attend to his cuts and wounds, Bruce's desires started to shimmer to the point that he pulled her hard and turned her harsh, slammed her to the console and started to undress her. To his delight, Diana did not refuse him. Instead, she arched her back, moaned as he clawed her, gasped as he kneaded her hills, and jerked his hair in ecstasy as his tongue played with her nipples. But he was about to enter her flooding valley when she stopped him. Despite her panting breaths and hazy look, Diana's words were clear when she said that he still had things to solve with Talia before they could be together. She also still needed to check the remnants of Lazarus Pit in her system. Being the guardian of Truth, Wonder Woman could not accommodate any insanity within her.

In pain, yet in full comprehension, Bruce let Diana fly away to the Island. He had not seen her again afterwards, and it's already almost a week. His body was painful due to the unmet desires he had on her, and his heart longed for her presence.

_It's been several days,_ he massaged his own tired neck. _If I don't hear from her tonight, I will teleport to Themyscira myself. _

Just as he finished his thoughts, his intercom buzzed, and the firm but friendly voice of Patricia Cornwell entered his office.

_A guest for you, Mr. Wayne. _

Bruce frowned and looked at the clock. It's almost 7:30pm. "Name?"

Patricia's hesitant voice. _She prefers not to be named, Sir. But she's clear._

Eyebrows still knitted together, Bruce activated the videocom to the foyer. Not Diana, he was disappointed. At this stage, Diana would fly right into his office. His guest, definitely a charming woman, has a slender body, but not as tall and well-built as Diana's. Yet her clothing was conservative; her generous chest was covered with a very expensive Vicuna shawl, her dark hair was covered with a Hermès scarf. The woman carried a luxurious Armani briefcase. Bruce pursed his lips. Talia Al-Ghul had arrived.

"Send Talia here, Pat."

_Right away, Mr. Wayne. _If Patricia was surprised, she did not show it.

Bruce turned to the window and fixed his Venetian blinds to reveal the twilight Gotham. Pretty, with many lights emerging one by one. Soon, he would do his patrol.

"Is it not time for your patrol, Bruce?"

Bruce kept his surveillance over his kingdom, bathed in the evening light. "I assume everything is alright, Talia?" He then turned, leaned on his desk, and observed his wife. There was no sign of torture at all. Her figure was relaxed, but not sensuous. Her stance royal, she almost reminded him of Diana. But the most important thing was her eyes. They were clear brown eyes, the color of brown agate, the eyes of an independent Talia. A woman who loved life, a woman who loved him, a woman he used to love.

"If you wonder whether my dear sister had murdered me again and tossed me to the pit again and again, no it did not happen. I've talked to Damian, and though still puzzled, he promised to protect me from his own aunt." Talia's lips formed an ironic smile. "It seems family feud is always inevitable in my family."

"I'm glad that he's with you," Bruce looked at her contemplatively. "I wish I could bring Damian here, but –"

"– it's not the time," Talia interjected. "We both know that. Damian is an Al-Ghul now. To be a Wayne, he has to go through many trials – mostly within himself – before he can prove that he is truly the Son of Bat. For now… he's my charge."

Bruce gave a surreptitious nod in gratitude. "Drink? Shiraz or cognac?"

Talia's neatly manicured hand gestured a 'no'. "Would love to, but I have no time. I need to do this fast, in case I change my mind." Bruce's silence told her that he knew what she was about to talk about. And since she was unsure of her own strength, she did not resume talking. Instead, she opened her briefcase, retrieved a stack of papers, and settled them on Bruce's desk.

"All signed. All originals, no deceptions at all." She looked at him in the eye. "You are free."

Not unfriendly silence among them before he spoke again. "Thank you. And are you free now?"

"As a bird." Talia gestured her chin at the papers. "You don't even look at the papers."

He gave her a sincere smile. "I trust you."

"You did not before."

"It was _not_ you back then. Now, it is _you_ here, and I _trust_ you." His deep blue eyes spoke volumes.

Talia Al-Ghul felt her throat clogged, her stronghold broken. "Bruce… I…" she blinked back her tears. "Had I not manipulated you that time… had I let everything flow naturally… would you, would I…" A drop of tear fell as her words quivered. "Would we have had a chance?"

It took Bruce at least one minute to ponder before he gave the answer. "Perhaps. Things are possible. I did care for you. I still do."

Talia closed her eyes to prevent more tears falling. "Thanks. But that's not enough." She opened her eyes again, lifted her chin ever so slightly, closed her briefcase and made to leave. "You care for me, but you love her. You love her, above others because she transforms the Dark Knight into the Knight, without changing you into herself. She makes you a better you."

Once again, Bruce's silence was the evidence of her statement's veracity. Only when she reached for the door did he say, "Take care, Talia."

She smiled, more sincere this time. "You too, Bruce. Say hi to Alfred." She wanted to hug him, to feel him for the last time, but she knew she had blown the chance long ago. Anyway, Bruce's friendly hug would only cause her pain now and destroyed her last citadel of pride. She needed her pride now, and she needed time to heal.

A few minutes after Talia's departure, Bruce began to slowly look through the paper work. He chose to trust Talia because he knew that his trust meant a lot for her. And he was relieved that it was not unfounded. All required signatures were there, all places where Talia Al-Ghul's signature should be found were marked. Bruce took a pen and started to write on the papers as he buzzed his intercom.

When Lucius Fox arrived a few minutes later, Bruce was finishing his last 'Bruce Wayne' signature. He looked up, smiled at the old man he often considered as the second surrogate father after Alfred Pennyworth, and said.

"I owe you a lot old man, but I'd appreciate if you take care of these papers for me." When Lucius' grey eyebrows arched as he saw what the papers were all about, Bruce added, "I owe you the story, I know. I will give you the nutshell, but I need to take care of another thing first now."

"A nocturnal activity, Mr. Wayne?"

Bruce smiled as he donned his jacket. "More like a shopping and a social visit."

-xxx-

"Why do I feel that this is the last time I will walk with you as a single woman?"

"Are you trying to crack a joke, Tom?"

"You tell me." Tom Tresser stopped and closed his eyes to feel the last sunlight of the day reflected by the calm surface of Hudson River. The afternoon river breeze blew his blond lock away; he opened his eyes to fix his hair, and he caught the way Diana looked at him. _She's pretty, even in her tee and jeans civvies_. "What's up, Di?"

"It was quite an adventure in Tibet a few days ago."

"No kidding," Tom smiled and sat at the grass. The seats were too far away from their walking path, and he wanted to feel the soft summer grass.

"Are you okay now? They beat you almost to a pulp back then."

"Nah... Takes more than that to kill the Man of a Thousand Face," Tom scratched his stubble. "How is Talia? Heard anything about her? Hopefully she's not thrown into the pit anymore." He shook his head in fear. "Nasty."

"I met her this morning in Paradise Island. She was alright. She went to Gotham this afternoon, after lunch." She paused to gather her strength, but no more words came out.

After an uncomfortable silence, Tom decided to help. "Is this the part where you should say that she delivers the divorce paper to Bruce, and that you will marry him instead?"

"Perhaps," Diana was surprised at Tom's calm demeanor. _But why should he not? This guy had evolved considerably the last few weeks. How about me, have I grown up? _"I'm not sure what happens in Gotham, actually."

"But assuming that they will deal with the divorce papers soon, will you marry him?" It was an honest question from an honest, sincere friend. Diana could not hold her stance anymore.

"I will hurt you again, Tom. I'm sorry."

Tom was quite again for a while before finally replied. "Don't be. Look, Diana –" he turned to face Diana, who at that time already sat next to him in the grass. "– I admit that I hated Bruce before, for stealing you away from me. But as I said in Washington that day, I knew that he was meant for you._ All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts..._"

"As You Like It."

"Clever," said Tom. "And old Shakespeare was right Diana. For you, the one man that plays many parts in your life… is Bruce Wayne. Like it or not, I have to accept that." He looked away at the sunset over the building silhouettes across the river and added, "And honestly, after knowing what Talia did to Bruce, and what Nyssa did to Talia, I could only pity Bruce and Talia. They might try to mend the fences as friends… but they may never be close friends like you and me."

Diana lowered her head and studied her neat finger nails instead. "So sad," she admitted later.

"Yes. But he has you. And he will go through it."

"And you still have me as a friend," Diana tried to smile.

"Of course." Tom got up and helped Diana to her feet as well. She carelessly wiped the grass off her jeans before hugging him, burying her face in his strong and accepting chest.

"Will you come when we invite you one day?"

She was – of course – talking about her inevitable wedding with Bruce Wayne. "Perhaps. I can't promise you. But if I do, you will see the best of me. And you will be proud of me."

"I know." Her sweet smile… that was no longer his, but was it truly not his anymore? Among the Trinity, Tom knew that Wonder Woman and Superman were true friends, and that true romance was between Diana and Batman. Though Tom could not compete with Bruce, perhaps now the Herald of Justice could compete with the Man of Steel. If friendship is all about competing, that is…

His cell phone produced a noise. A text message. "Must be from Sarge Steel," he apologized. "I need to report back to him at eight."

"Don't let him wait, then," Diana punched him jokingly. "He can fire you right away after that Tibet fiasco."

"He won't. He's a nice guy."

"He is," Diana said as she floated to the air. "Give my warm regards to him."

"Will do," Tom could not wipe the smile on his face as he watched the strong and beautiful Amazon flew northeast along the river. He then turned his attention to his cell phone, opening the new text message to answer Sarge Steel's message.

Except that it was not from Sarge Steel.

_Am in Washington for the night. Wanna meet at 8:30 for dinner? Eve._

Tom Tresser blinked and looked at the number again. It was an old number that had not been in contact with him for a long time. Eve Eden, a.k.a. the Nightshade. It took him a while before texting her back:

_Am w/h Sg Steel at 8pm, meeting. Hw bout 9? Name d place. _

He was in his yellow cab, on the way to the DMA helipad launch at the top of the New York DMA building across Central Park when his mobile blinked again.

_That's late dinner. U pay double, am hungry._

Tom Tresser smiled. _So be it. _

-xxx-

She had been wondering if he would ever show up tonight. She had not called him since her arrival in New York, nor after her meeting with Tom Tresser. But she trusted that he had met Talia that afternoon, and tomorrow at the latest she would receive news from him. Still, she had pondered the possibility of him showing up at the Watchtower, for she knew that Batman would not miss the fact that it was Wonder Woman's turn for Monitor Duty that night.

Yet, night passed by without any Gothamite visitor and her Monitor Duty was soon over at 2 A.M. as Superman arrived to take over.

"Anything new, Diana?" Clark asked casually as he strolled into the Womb with a cup of espresso. Strong fragrance of caffeine attacked Diana's nostrils. Not tonight though. She would rather sleep right away as she returned home.

"A fire in Star City, Dinah and Ollie were on it, Captain Marvel assisted. An old Parthian magician suddenly appeared in Cairo market and made some troubles, but Isis and Teth Adam required no assistance. Some efforts to blow up a market in Jodhpur, India, but J'onn J'onzz was too quick for the terrorists."

"He must be pissed off, having his yogic holiday disturbed," Clark sipped the coffee as he flipped through a confidential report on the console.

"Pretty much," Diana chuckled. "And Two Face made some silly moves again in Gotham." She wrapped up her report. "Nothing really happened, in the League standard."

"Bruce surely didn't need any help," Clark closed the confidential report and sat down at the large, comfortable chair of the Monitor Womb. He wriggled his back and gave a heavenly sigh before placing his legs on top of each other on the console. Wonder Woman quirked; she did not like it. The Man of Steel ignored it; a sibling fight with Diana was always good. "Don't you think this chair is too comfy? Someone would fall asleep."

"Not you. You're awake and talking," Diana wrapped her papers and slapped them at Clark's legs. "Legs off, Kal. And Bruce did need help. He arrived late; he let Batgirl, Robin, and the Huntress handle that freak."

"Two Face?" Superman's attempt to have another espresso sip was halted. "The Batman was late?!"

Wonder Woman shrugged. "Having some trouble with the Batmobile perhaps." _Perhaps that's why he did not call me._

"Whatever," Superman shrugged too and grinned with Wonder Woman. Then his expression turned serious. "Diana…I know what happened in Tibet."

"The League's log, of course."

"It's just a simple chronological log. But beneath it, I know there's more." Kal-El dropped his legs from the console. His baby blue eyes showed his deep concerns. "I wish you and Bruce happiness, Diana. Don't you think it's time now?"

Wonder Woman did not reply. She just kissed Superman on the cheek.

"Batman can knock me out for that, Di."

"He can try. So far I know, Superman is invulnerable," she smiled before walking away from the Monitor Womb. Her smile widened as her enhanced hearing caught Kal El's reply: _Not if you have a jealous boyfriend punching me with a kryptonite ring. _

-xxx-

It was almost 3 A.M. as she slipped into her bed after a nice hot shower. Other than reading the League reports and her own Ambassadorial papers, she did nothing during the Monitor Duty, and the night went too slow for her that she wished a stupid maniac like Grodd would make some trouble in Metropolis or something like that. She needed distraction… to divert her attention from her own needs. Her own desires.

It was a quick hot shower that she took. Longer than that, she might be too alert to sleep. She let her legs wriggled inside the blanket. She closed her eyes and sighed as her toes found the nice cool spots. Then she suddenly opened her sleepy eyes, scrutinizing her dark room. A ray of silver light of the full moon fell on her Persian carpet. Something was different with her Ambassadorial room. Something strange… something alien, yet familiar at the same time. She smiled.

"Are you going to wait until I sleep?"

" I was thinking about it," the Batman emerged from a shadowy corner. "How are you?"

"I can't sleep."

"Why?" the tall dark 'stranger' drew nearer, his silhouette was back-lighted by the silver moon. He sat, she felt his weight on her bed. "Why Diana?"

She said nothing. Instead, she reached for him and – with a swift move – unmasked him. Bruce Wayne did not even blink. "Why?" She let her trembled fingers traced Bruce's unshaved jaws. "I'm waiting for news."

"What news?" his voice was hoarse, passion started to overflow. He took off his gloves and let his hands traveled to touch the goddess in front of him. She shivered as he caressed her breasts, moderately covered by her sleeping attire. When his hand travel downwards beneath her white silk tunic, she sighed and strived to say,

"That a tall, dark, handsome stranger…would dare to claim me as his… for this is his second chance, and he better use it wisely."

"What if he's still scared?" Despite his question, the Dark Knight unclipped his cape and took off his boots. He then leaned so close to Diana, whispering the same question again.

"Then he's a fool indeed." Her fingers traveled to his Nomex-Kevlar costume, feeling the strong muscles beneath it.

"Well, I'm glad that I'm not the fool." He clasped his hands to her neck, tasting her sweet curves and lips before withdrawing again. On Diana's neck now perched a very beautiful silver starfish. Diana's Tiffany, lost three years ago, yet found and kept by love. She looked down, realized what was it on her neck, and tears started to well on her azure eyes.

"It's beautiful, Bruce," She almost chocked herself with tears. "Thank you…"

Bruce said nothing. He just smiled, pulled Diana to a sitting position, and kneeled down in front of her. Slowly but sure, he then produced a small box from Batman's utility belt and opened it to reveal a pair of very lovely white gold rings, forged in the form of gentle waves, with two little starfish on each of them.

"The fool is no more. The one in front of you now is a grown up man, a free person who cannot live without you." He took the smaller ring out and held it to her. "Will you marry me, Princess?"

Her 'yes' was swallowed by her bursting tears, but the sun, stars, and the moons in her eyes were enough answers for him. She kissed him again and again, and moaned the 'yes' again and again as he lowered her damp body, undressed her, and let her undress him in return. He teased her again and again as he tongued and bit her everywhere, leaving his primitive marks; marks that claimed her as his forever. All along, she kept saying 'yes'. And when she finally let him sheathed himself into her, and he felt the glowing golden warmth within him like he had never felt before, she uttered her loudest agreement in ecstasy. He exploded inside and responded with his simple growl and moan that he, too, had become hers.

Bruce's and Diana's wedding would not take place until the next spring, when the beautiful trees, budding roses, and chirping birds became the background of the solemn and beautiful ceremony at the Wayne Manor, attended by the closest and the dearest ones. Donna was the maid of honor and Dick was naturally the best man. Also attending the Bat family, Diana's Amazon sisters, the Kents, the Queens, the Kyles, the Gordons, the Leaguers, the Titans, the Bird of Preys, the Outsiders, the Trevors, Bruce's closest ring of the Wayne Enterprises, and the Embassy staffs. At a very visible corner of the podium, stood a very nice flower bouquet from Tom Tresser, who at that time was on his assignment with Nightshade somewhere in the heart of China.

But for Bruce Wayne and Diana of Themyscira, their wedding night was actually that night when the Dark Knight visited and made love with Wonder Woman in her chamber, under the glowing full moon. He presented himself with love, shed the 'Dark' side of his knighthood, and became a grown man beside his lover. As for Diana, though she lost her immortality right then that night as he entered her again and again, claiming her in the most primal way that she was his forever, she had found something else.

Together, they had found something else: immortal love, the equivalent of sweet life itself.

-FIN-

_Author's note:_

_Phew! Never thought it took me two years to finish this story! Man… Thanks for bearing with me, though! Hope you like this saga._

_I incorporate the knowledge in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight that Lucius Fox knew about Bruce Wayne's secret ID. I think it just befitted the storyline and the characters. Lucius is not a fool, after all._

_I don't include many DC canons, e.g. Amazon Attack, the Circle (great story as it is), Batman RIP, Selina's losing her daughter, Salvation Run, etc. I live in my own DC Universe. Thank Gaea for that._


End file.
